DeFi Hack Data Suggests AI-Driven “Hackpocalypse” Fears Overblown

Predictions that artificial intelligence would spark a wave of devastating DeFi exploits have not held up against the numbers, according to a venture capital partner who says the data tells a more nuanced story. While incident counts have hit record highs this year, the actual dollar value stolen per hack is trending down.

Smaller Targets, Smaller Losses

According to Dragonfly’s Haseeb Qureshi, the typical hack size has dropped to under $500,000 this year, compared to over $2 million in 2025. He argues this pattern shows bad actors using AI tools are going after smaller, poorly maintained protocols rather than major platforms, which have strengthened their defenses. Even after excluding a handful of massive individual incidents from recent months, total value stolen monthly remains lower than last year’s pace.

These comments came as a rebuttal to warnings from a blockchain security executive who called the entire DeFi space fundamentally unsafe, citing AI’s growing ability to spot smart contract weaknesses.

Wider Data Paints A Mixed Picture

Looking beyond just DeFi to include exchanges, wallets, and phishing scams, the trend looks less encouraging. One month this spring saw losses spike to their highest level in over a year. Separate research found total crypto losses fell nearly 47% in the first half of this year, though researchers cautioned that lower headline numbers don’t necessarily mean the industry has become safer, partly because last year’s figures were inflated by one exceptionally large theft. State-sponsored hacking groups continue to account for a major share of losses industry-wide.