Vitalik Buterin Defines Blockchain as a Problem-Solving Tool

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, defined blockchain as a tool for problem-solving at the ETH Taipei 2026 event in Taiwan on the 13th. He presented censorship resistance, openness, privacy, and security as core values. Buterin introduced the concept of 'CROPS' and emphasized that the problems to be solved should be identified before adopting blockchain. He explained that there are other technologies available to achieve goals besides blockchain, and that using blockchain does not always improve censorship resistance or privacy. Additionally, he pointed out that the cryptocurrency industry has overestimated blockchain-based innovations in recent years, noting that AI has garnered more attention than blockchain. Buterin stated that the advancement of AI will further highlight the importance of censorship resistance, privacy, and security. He emphasized that the combination of blockchain and cryptography will become increasingly important in the future, adding that technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and fully homomorphic encryption can expand the scope of blockchain applications.