IoTeX launches AI Foundry as a decentralized alternative to ‘closed AI’

Decentralized identity protocol IoTeX has launched the Real-World AI Foundry, a global initiative to build open, decentralized and blockchain-powered artificial intelligence.

At the R3al World AI Summit during the Token2049 conference, IoTeX unveiled the project in collaboration with a group of founding Alignment Partners, including Vodafone, the Blockchain Association, Filecoin, Theta Network, Aethir and others.

The Foundry aims to challenge traditional AI systems, which IoTeX describes as “closed-source, costly, and controlled by a few.” “Real-World AI requires the opposite: open collaboration, where live, trusted data from machines, people, and sensors flows into shared models,” a spokesperson told Cointelegraph.

The spokesperson added that blockchain ensures this data is securely recorded, while crypto provides the incentives for global participation. “Users can contribute data, compute, or validation and earn rewards each time an AI agent or model accesses these verified data streams,” they said.

The R3al World AI Summit. Source: IoTeXRelated: How to use ChatGPT to find hidden gems in the crypto market

Real-World Models offer live AI

At the heart of the initiative are Real-World Models (RWMs), intelligent systems trained on live data from machines, sensors and human interaction. These models are built to understand cause and effect, adapt to changing environments, and deliver real-time responses in high-impact sectors such as mobility, energy, healthcare and robotics.

“Rather than just distributing compute or agent hosting, the Foundry creates the first open ecosystem of RWMs, governed collectively to ensure interoperability, accountability, and alignment with human values,” the IoTeX spokesperson said.

The Foundry begins with real-world data flowing from IoTeX’s existing network of over 40 million connected devices. These devices can opt in as trusted data sources using ioID, a decentralized identity protocol that verifies authenticity without exposing personal information. Data privacy is protected using encryption and zero-knowledge proofs.

Data providers, infrastructure partners, and model builders will be rewarded based on the quality and usage of their inputs, tracked via onchain registries.

IoTeX said that governance will start with working groups established by Alignment Partners, evolving over time to incorporate token-based voting and other decentralized mechanisms, ensuring that no single entity controls the ecosystem.

Related: Stocks vs. Bitcoin in the AI era: Which will survive the next 50 years?

Decentralized AI gains traction

In August, Swarm Network raised $13 million to develop a decentralized AI verification protocol. The protocol aims to turn offchain data into verifiable onchain information and has already powered fact-checking for over 3 million posts via Rollup News.

In April, decentralized AI startup Nous Research also raised $50 million in a Paradigm-led Series A round to build open-source AI models using decentralized infrastructure on Solana to rival centralized players like OpenAI.

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