Google DeepMind uses AI to formally verify part of Signal's encryption code
Google DeepMind researchers used an AI system called AlphaProof Code to mathematically verify that a portion of Signal's encryption code functions as intended, building on prior verification work by the Signal Foundation. Human researchers and AI agents split the task, with agents running DeepMind's Gemini Carbon model executing proofs and flagging only about 1% of the codebase for human review. The team also tested the tool on two previously fixed Signal bugs, and it produced correct proofs for both.
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Formal verification has historically been slow and labor-intensive, so automating most of it could make rigorous security checks more feasible for widely used software like Signal, WhatsApp, and Google Messages, which share the same encryption protocol. The researchers frame this as reassuring given recent reports of AI tools uncovering software vulnerabilities, though the work covers only part of Signal's codebase rather than the whole system. It also reflects a broader trend of AI being applied to formal mathematical reasoning, which DeepMind suggests could extend to verifying other critical software in the future.
- DeepMind's AlphaProof Code formally verified a portion of Signal's encryption codebase, not the entire system.
- AI agents handled most of the verification work, requiring human review of only about 1% of the code.
- The tool correctly identified two previously known, already-fixed Signal bugs during testing.
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Published there as: “Google’s new AI tool just proved Signal encryption really works – here’s how”
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