--- title: How AI could make it harder for governments to use... description: Cryptographer Matthew Green sparked debate by arguing that AI-assisted bug hunting could make software so secure that governments lose the zero-day exploits... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/how-ai-could-make-it-harder-for-governments-to-use-hacking-tools-oeeutaqa2 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: How AI could make it harder for governments to use hacking tools | daily.dev og:description: Cryptographer Matthew Green sparked debate by arguing that AI-assisted bug hunting could make software so secure that governments lose the zero-day exploits... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/how-ai-could-make-it-harder-for-governments-to-use-hacking-tools-oeeutaqa2 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/OeEuTAQa2.png og:image:alt: How AI could make it harder for governments to use hacking tools og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How AI could make it harder for governments to use hacking tools **[TechCrunch](https://daily.dev/sources/tc)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Cryptographer Matthew Green sparked debate by arguing that AI-assisted bug hunting could make software so secure that governments lose the zero-day exploits they rely on for lawful hacking, potentially reigniting pressure for encryption backdoors. Security experts and offensive researchers gave mixed reactions: some agree the current bug surplus is temporary and defenders will gain the edge, while others argue AI helps both attackers and defenders, complex bugs will persist, and vibe-coded software introduces new vulnerabilities. Most agree that renewed government pressure for backdoors is plausible but not imminent, with one expert estimating it's at least a presidential election cycle away. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### why do some security experts think AI could make government hacking tools less effective Cryptographer Matthew Green argues that AI is helping companies find and patch security bugs so quickly that governments could run out of exploitable vulnerabilities to hack devices for surveillance. This would break the current unofficial truce where governments buy hacking tools and zero-days instead of demanding encryption backdoors, potentially reviving pressure for backdoors as bugs become scarce. _Developers tracking how AI-assisted vulnerability research reshapes security debates can follow the discussion on daily.dev._ ### does AI mostly help attackers or defenders find security vulnerabilities Opinions diverge: EFF's Eva Galperin says offense currently has the advantage because AI is highly capable at finding bugs while vibe-coding introduces more vulnerabilities, while other offensive security researchers argue defenders will eventually gain the edge as AI patches easy bugs faster, leaving only complex, valuable bugs for governments to exploit. _Anyone weighing AI's impact on offensive versus defensive security can compare these expert takes on daily.dev._ ### will governments push for encryption backdoors again if AI reduces available security bugs Security researcher Katie Moussouris predicts pressure for backdoors could resurface once bugs become significantly harder to find, but estimates the intelligence community likely has until after the next presidential election before being materially hampered enough to push for backdoors seriously. Other experts like Eva Galperin argue authoritarian regimes will always seek exceptional access regardless of bug scarcity. _Those following encryption policy shifts can track expert predictions on backdoor pressure via daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Everything is about to “go dark”](https://daily.dev/posts/everything-is-about-to-go-dark--ffg9gjztl) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Schneier on Security](https://daily.dev/posts/schneier-on-security-ncsmmccck) · Schneier on Security · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Ex-CISA chief says AI could mean the end of cybersecurity](https://daily.dev/posts/ex-cisa-chief-says-ai-could-mean-the-end-of-cybersecurity-civmzskuv) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ai), [#cyber](https://daily.dev/tags/cyber), [#encryption](https://daily.dev/tags/encryption), [#zero-day](https://daily.dev/tags/zero-day) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/how-ai-could-make-it-harder-for-governments-to-use-hacking-tools-oeeutaqa2) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"How AI could make it harder for governments to use hacking tools","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-ai-could-make-it-harder-for-governments-to-use-hacking-tools-oeeutaqa2","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-ai-could-make-it-harder-for-governments-to-use-hacking-tools-oeeutaqa2"},"datePublished":"2026-08-31T15:22:03.589Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T19:46:53.734Z","description":"Cryptographer Matthew Green sparked debate by arguing that AI-assisted bug hunting could make software so secure that governments lose the zero-day exploits...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/7b0446427e02e22eb99afb45e882ec01?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/7b0446427e02e22eb99afb45e882ec01?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"TechCrunch","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TechCrunch","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/tc","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/tc"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-ai-could-make-it-harder-for-governments-to-use-hacking-tools-oeeutaqa2","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"ai,cyber,encryption,zero-day","timeRequired":"PT5M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TechCrunch","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/tc"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How AI could make it harder for governments to use hacking tools"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-ai-could-make-it-harder-for-governments-to-use-hacking-tools-oeeutaqa2#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"why do some security experts think AI could make government hacking tools less effective","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Cryptographer Matthew Green argues that AI is helping companies find and patch security bugs so quickly that governments could run out of exploitable vulnerabilities to hack devices for surveillance. 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