Ethereum founder Vitalik accepts Chinese exclusive interview: Discussing the integration and innovation of POS, Layer 2, and AI

On April 7, 2025, at the Pop-X HK Research House event held in Hong Kong, Vitalik Buterin accepted an exclusive interview with Yan, the founder of the DappLearning community. The following is a summary of the interview content:

Views on POS Upgrade

Vitalik believes that the price fluctuations of BTC and ETH are unrelated to POW and POS. He pointed out that one issue facing ETH is that the success of ecological applications may not fully translate into the value of ETH. In the future, more support is needed to create applications that can bring long-term value to ETH holders.

PBS Architecture and Centralization Concerns

Vitalik stated that the PBS architecture introduces asymmetry in building blocks and validating blocks. While building blocks may require higher performance, the cost of validation will be significantly reduced. He believes that this architecture is more complex than complete decentralization, but it can restrict the power of supernodes in various ways to ensure network security.

The Relationship Between Layer 1 and Layer 2

Vitalik pointed out that the current Layer 2 faces issues such as slow security progress and insufficient interoperability. He believes that Layer 1 still plays an important role, and certain high-value applications are more suitable to run on Layer 1. Ethereum is enhancing Layer 1 scalability through various solutions, with an expected increase in gas limit by 10 times.

Ethereum Upgrade Plan

Vitalik revealed that the Pectra upgrade is expected to take place at the end of this month, and the Fusaka upgrade is likely to be implemented in the third or fourth quarter of this year. Ethereum is taking various measures to improve upgrade efficiency, including strengthening coordination among teams and imposing stricter requirements on client teams.

Views on the Development of Cryptography

Vitalik believes that the ZK field should be layered, allowing most developers to focus on high-level language development. He is cautious about technologies like FHE and MPC, fearing that the committee mechanism may pose security risks.

The Impact of AI on Society

Vitalik believes that AI helps to narrow the gap between experts and novices, playing a certain role in equality. He calls for consideration of the impact on society when technologies such as blockchain, AI, and cryptography are combined.

Advice for Ethereum Developers

Vitalik encourages developers to seize the opportunity to create applications that have both practical value and sustainable business models. He hopes to see a healthy application ecosystem that lies between idealism and pure gambling.