Co-founder of Sui blockchain creator departs for AI security research role at leading artificial intelligence firm.
Sam Blackshear, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Mysten Labs, is transitioning his focus to defensive security research as he joins Anthropic. The move follows a departure from the company which created the Sui blockchain. This shift reflects growing concerns surrounding the escalating use of artificial intelligence by malicious actors targeting blockchain infrastructure.
Blackshear established Mysten Labs in September 2021 alongside four former Meta executives. The team quickly developed Sui, a blockchain designed for high-throughput transactions. Evan Cheng, the company’s CEO, will now assume responsibility for the “technical vision” of Mysten Labs following Blackshear’s departure.
Concerns regarding AI’s potential to exacerbate security risks within the blockchain ecosystem are mounting. Michael Coates, Chief Information Security Officer at the Solana Foundation, recently voiced reservations about limiting access to advanced AI models for defensive purposes. He cited the need to streamline verification processes for legitimate defenders.
Previously, Blackshear employed Claude – a large language model – during the porting of a static analysis tool from Facebook to Move, the programming language used for Sui smart contracts. The triage results, reportedly previously entirely manual, highlighted potential vulnerabilities in this process. This approach represented a significant change from previous methods.
Blackshear stated that he has consistently prioritized hands-on technical work and exploring novel problem domains throughout his career. He noted that the coding process would have taken an extended period before Claude’s involvement. Coates emphasised the importance of adapting verification programs to allow access to advanced models for security defenders.
The Bitcoin Red Team recently reported 5000 findings in a security audit, demonstrating the scale of vulnerabilities being identified within blockchain systems. The move by Blackshear signals an increased awareness and response to emerging threats within the rapidly evolving landscape of distributed ledger technology.
Written by Roger Slater
Technology Desk
