PIN AI, backed by a16z, creates a privacy-focused, open-source alternative to Apple’s AI that uses blockchain to enable users to monetize their personal data.
PIN AI, an artificial intelligence infrastructure firm, has raised $10 million in pre-seed funding and joined the Fall 2024 cohort of the a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator (a16z CSX).
In a press release shared with Cointelegraph, the startup announced its focus on creating the first open-source Personal Intelligence Network (PIN).
This open-source solution, developed through research collaborations with Ethereum Core, Stanford, and MIT, directly competes with Apple’s recently launched Apple Intelligence AI solution.
In a written Q&A with Cointelegraph, Ben Wu, co-founder of PIN AI, stated that the September 9 announcement was timed to coincide with Apple’s same-day launch to “maximize the impact of the communication.”
Apple Decentralized Alternative
According to the press release, PIN AI offers a privacy-centric, open-source alternative to Apple Intelligence, available exclusively on certain iPhone models.
This decentralized option is designed to operate on lower-spec smartphones and a wider array of devices, making it accessible to a larger audience.
Wu elaborated, “Internet giants like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon have built trillion-dollar empires based on user data.” He continued,
“…but users don’t own any of it. Our AI x crypto solution allows users to earn token incentives based on the data they connect and the activities they perform […] sharing ownership of the entire platform with the users.”
Open-Source Implications
The PIN AI platform will enable developers to build AI agents that function on users’ devices, leveraging personal data in a decentralized and privacy-preserving manner.
The press release highlighted that the platform will utilize blockchain technology and advanced AI models to allow users to manage their data across multiple applications securely.
Davide Crapis, co-founder of PIN AI, explained that the open-source PIN “will protect user freedom from big internet giants” and aim to reclaim over $100 billion in profits derived from user data.
“Our platform empowers users to monetize and control their own data, offering them the benefits that major tech giants like Apple previously dominated.”
International AI Treaty Signed
On September 5, significant progress was made toward the global unification of objectives and values regarding artificial intelligence during a meeting of Council of Europe ministers of justice.
The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom are set to sign the Framework Convention on AI, a treaty focused on human rights and democratic values.
This treaty aims to regulate AI models in both the public and private sectors and will be the world’s first international treaty on AI that is legally binding for its signatories.
