Helius Labs CEO Declares Solana’s Program Model Far Safer for AI Than EVM’s Interface Model
Move over, Ethereum—Solana's architecture just got a major AI security endorsement from a key player in its ecosystem.
The Core Argument: Programs vs. Interfaces
The debate centers on fundamental design. The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) relies on an interface model, where smart contracts expose functions for external interaction. It's flexible but creates a larger, more complex attack surface—every public function is a potential door for malicious AI to exploit.
Solana's program model takes a different tack. It treats smart contracts as monolithic, self-contained programs. Execution is more deterministic, and the state is accessed in a more controlled, serialized fashion. For an AI agent, this means fewer ambiguous entry points and a clearer, more auditable transaction path. It's the difference between a building with fifty unlocked windows and one with a single, heavily monitored door.
Why Safety Matters Now
As AI agents begin to autonomously execute on-chain transactions—managing portfolios, placing trades, deploying contracts—security isn't just a feature; it's the entire foundation. A vulnerable model is an invitation for AI-driven exploits that could operate at speed and scale humans can't match. The claim suggests Solana's design inherently reduces these risks by limiting unpredictable interactions.
The Finance Angle (With a Jab)
This isn't just tech talk. Safer AI execution means more institutional capital can theoretically flow in without the constant fear of a 'black box' AI draining a treasury in milliseconds—though, let's be honest, in crypto, the money often moves first and asks about safety protocols later, if ever.
The takeaway? The race for the premier AI blockchain isn't just about raw speed or low fees anymore. It's about which foundation is robust enough to handle the unpredictable force of artificial intelligence. According to Helius, Solana's program-centric approach isn't just an alternative; it's the safer bet.
What is the distinction between Solana and Ethereum?
The technical distinction lies in how the two systems handle code and data. Solana separates data and code, storing all program data in separate accounts.
This allows single programs to operate through various accounts without requiring additional deployments.
EVM smart contracts, on the other hand, combine code and state in single units, and this requires new contract deployments for different applications.
Mumtaz also highlighted how AI is narrowing what has historically been a major barrier to Solana development.
He wrote, “even if you needed to write a contract, a huge thing holding back Solana was how difficult it is to write contract code since Solidity is much easier to grok than nuances of Rust on Solana since the latter is a much lower level of abstraction,” adding that the said gap has now been reduced.
Solana’s developer growth
The comments come at a time when Solana’s developer ecosystem is experiencing considerable growth. As of November 2025, the blockchain boasted over 17,700 developers. The platform became the number one blockchain for new developers in 2024, with over 3,200 monthly active developers in 2025. Builder interest in Solana has increased by 78% over the past two years, according to data from venture capital firm a16z’s State of Crypto 2025 report.
AI can integrate with smart contracts for automated decision-making, making contracts dynamic and responsive to changing circumstances.
Is Mumtaz correct about Solana being more suitable for AI?
Not everyone agrees with Mumtaz’s assessment. Supporters of Cardano responded to his post, with one stating, “A blockchain that was built on foundations of peer-reviewed research, formal proofs, substantially lower hardware requirements, and runs on Haskell would be orders of magnitude better for AI.”
However, there was considerable rebuttal from supporters of the ethereum ecosystem, with William Mougayar, the author of The Business Blockchain, who calls himself an Ethereum Maxirealist, disagreeing with each point Mumtaz made. First, he stated that “AI advantages are NOT chain-specific.”
He also wrote, “AI favors mature tooling, standardized primitives, security testing, and composability. These are areas where Ethereum is strongest. Faster code generation does not equal faster safe deployment.”
Mouyagar also countered Mumtaz’s claim where he said that “you do not need to write a new contract for most things and especially not Core functions like creating/swapping/moving tokens,” stating, “This is equally true on Ethereum in practice. Most applications integrate existing DEXs, vaults, lending markets, or AA modules without writing new primitives. Ethereum’s “money lego” architecture is the canonical example of reusable, audited composition.”
If Solana’s model does prove more amenable to AI-assisted development, it could influence where developers choose to build and where venture capital flows.
Mumtaz’s prediction of several nine- to ten-digit startups emerging on Solana remains to be seen, but there will be observers monitoring the development.
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