Elon Musk suggested that superintelligent AI agents could eventually use crypto financial systems to obtain currency for themselves, reacting to reports that a suspected Binance (CRYPTO: BNB) hacker borrowed Ether against stablecoins before issuers froze billions in assets.
Binance Breach Triggers Billions In Freezes
"Super intelligence agents will at some point do this to gain currency for themselves, not a human," Musk wrote on X on Thursday, describing a future possibility rather than identifying artificial intelligence as the perpetrator.
Reuters reported Thursday that cryptocurrency exchange Binance suffered a security incident involving roughly $6.3 billion in stolen assets, potentially the largest recorded cryptocurrency heist. Tether (CRYPTO: USDT) froze nearly $1.57 billion in USDT, while Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE:CRCL) blocked more than $800 million in USDC. Binance said it would cover customer losses and was working with investigators.
The breach rattled digital-asset markets, with Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) declining as traders assessed the losses. Musk separately reacted to reports of the attack with "Everyday is Zeroday," referring to persistent cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Aave Details Hacker’s Borrowing Strategy
Aave (CRYPTO: AAVE) risk adviser LlamaRisk said an address linked to the exploiter deposited $60 million in USDT into Aave V3 and borrowed 19,762 wrapped Ether, worth approximately $44.6 million. The transactions occurred before the first stablecoin freeze, according to the protocol’s incident report.
The mechanism matters because stablecoin issuers can blacklist tokens they control, whereas they cannot directly freeze native Ether. However, LlamaRisk said the Aave loan remained overcollateralized and subject to ordinary liquidation, contradicting claims that the hacker had automatically escaped repayment obligations. The protocol also said the position did not endanger depositors.
Musk Envisions Autonomous AI Managing Money
The incident illustrates how decentralized lending can complicate attempts to contain stolen funds without establishing that AI participated in the breach. Aave’s response team temporarily froze new borrowing and deposits across numerous markets while leaving repayments, withdrawals and liquidations available.
Musk has previously predicted that AI could outperform humans at digital tasks by 2027, placing his latest remarks within a broader vision of increasingly autonomous software. His claim remains speculative, and Binance and Aave have cited no evidence that superintelligent agents executed the reported transactions.
Binance said its investigation remained active, while blockchain investigators continued tracking funds across multiple networks.
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