DCG Founder Urges Focus on Preparing for AI and Quantum Computing Risks

Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group (DCG), stated that the focus should be on preparing for the risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, rather than mocking the price drop of Zcash (ZEC). This suggests a shift towards prioritizing the long-term security and resilience of crypto assets.

Recently, a vulnerability with the potential for unlimited counterfeit issuance was discovered in Zcash (ZEC). Security engineer Taylor Hornby utilized the AI model Claude Opus 4.8, revealed on May 29, 2026, to build an exploit that could generate an unlimited number of undetectable counterfeit ZEC in a local test environment. The vulnerability had existed in the Orchard pool since May 2022 and was uncovered during a security review on June 5, 2026. Zcash had experienced a similar type of bug in 2019.

In response to the discovered vulnerability, the Zcash development team conducted an emergency hard fork from June 1 to June 3, 2026. Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, announced the sale of all his Zcash holdings.