a16z-backed crypto firm rebrands, shifts focus to solving AI’s global copyright headache
Key takeaways
- The DATA Foundation will operate the DATA Network, an onchain registry designed to verify the origins, licensing and consent history of datasets used to train artificial intelligence models.
- The startup’s shift comes as AI developers and Big Tech face mounting copyright lawsuits over the data used to train their models and increasing pressure to prove that datasets were collected with proper consent.
- The protocol came under the spotlight in February due to a token unlock delay.
It is now the DATA Foundation and it is focusing on solving the increasing problem with AI copyright violations. (DATA Foundation/Media)Summary Show Story Protocol is rebranding as DATA Foundation and pivoting from general intellectual property to building blockchain-based infrastructure for verifying AI training data.The new DATA Network and its Trace platform aim to provide cryptographic receipts that document the provenance, licensing, consent terms and payment history of datasets without exposing the underlying data.DATA Foundation is integrating with Kled AI’s human data marketplace, registering 1.1 billion user-contributed records, and developing fraud-detection tools to ensure that licensed data is verifiably human, original and legally compliant.Palo Alto-based blockchain startup Story Protocol is rebranding as DATA Foundation and shifting its focus entirely to AI training infrastructure, with Kled founder Avi Patel joining the organization as chief data officer, Patel told CoinDesk in an email interview on Thursday.
The DATA Foundation will operate the DATA Network, an onchain registry designed to verify the origins, licensing and consent history of datasets used to train artificial intelligence models. The pivot moves the firm from targeting the broader intellectual property market to the specialized AI data sector, Patel said.
The startup’s shift comes as AI developers and Big Tech face mounting copyright lawsuits over the data used to train their models and increasing pressure to prove that datasets were collected with proper consent. DATA Foundation is betting blockchain can provide a transparent record of ownership, licensing and provenance for AI training data.