Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has publicly challenged bold claims surrounding a new artificial intelligence project that says it can operate without human involvement. The dispute centers on “The Automaton,” a system introduced by Thiel Fellow Sigil Wen as the foundation of what he calls “Web 4.0.” Wen argues that his AI can earn its own existence, improve itself, and replicate independently. Buterin says the framing is flawed and potentially dangerous.