Vitalik Buterin Responds to $500 Million SHIB Donation Controversy, Clarifies Actual Relationship with AI Risk Organization FLI

On March 12, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin responded publicly to rumors about his large donations to the Future of Life Institute (FLI) and his involvement in AI policy initiatives. He provided a detailed background on the SHIB donation incident and clarified his differing stance from the organization on AI risk governance.

Vitalik Buterin recalled that in 2021, he suddenly received a large amount of SHIB and other meme tokens, which some project teams sent to his address as a marketing stunt, half of their total supply. The tokens’ value surged, with a paper value exceeding $1 billion at one point. Concerned about a market bubble burst, he quickly liquidated most of these assets, converting them into Ethereum and donating to multiple organizations, including $50 million to GiveWell.

Of the remaining SHIB, half was donated to CryptoRelief to support healthcare infrastructure in India; the other half was donated to the Future of Life Institute. At that time, the institute showed him a long-term research plan covering biosafety, nuclear risks, and AI risk management. He initially expected these tokens could only be cashed out for about $10-25 million, but the organization ultimately sold the tokens for around $500 million.

Subsequently, the Future of Life Institute gradually shifted focus, investing more resources into cultural and political AI governance actions. In response, Vitalik Buterin expressed understanding of their concerns about the rapid development of artificial general intelligence, but also worries that large-scale political actions could lead to unforeseen consequences, such as excessive centralization of power or global regulatory conflicts.

He emphasized that he prefers a “development and adaptation” approach to technology—reducing future risks through open technology and secure infrastructure, such as air quality monitoring systems, early pandemic detection tech, and verifiable secure hardware. Recently, about $40 million was allocated to support research in secure computing hardware and cybersecurity, aiming to make future computing systems more reliable against AI threats.

Despite differing views, Vitalik Buterin acknowledged some initiatives of the Future of Life Institute, such as the “Human-Centered AI Declaration,” which aims to foster cooperation across political and regional boundaries to prevent AI from becoming overly centralized. He hopes the organization will remain cautious and rational in promoting AI governance to minimize potential risks.