Vitalik: Ethereum should adhere to its core L1 characteristics while adopting a bolder and more open mindset at the application layer.

PANews reported on March 6th that Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin published an article on the X platform, arguing that while adhering to the core characteristics of L1—censorship resistance, open source, privacy, and security—Ethereum should adopt a bolder and more open mindset regarding application layers and its interaction with the world. He raised the question: What should we do if AI causes Ethereum wallets, which function as browser extensions, to disappear within a year? And what would the future of DeFi be like if it were essentially just a general futures market based on decentralized oracles, where users organize themselves?

He pointed out that with the development of AI, "applications" are evolving from discrete behavioral categories into a continuous space, thus the model of "reducing application development and relying more on users to self-organize around core functions" will inevitably expand. He also mentioned the progress in privacy this year, including network layer privacy research, and emphasized that privacy should be elevated to the same level of importance as other types of security, which means that a completely different Ethereum application stack needs to be built. Vitalik also called for a rethinking of the role of L2 and exploring which types of L2 can best synergize with Ethereum. On a cultural level, he encouraged Ethereum developers to abandon existing path dependencies, think from first principles about what applications should be built, and unleash their creativity with a more open mind.