The People's AI: The Decentralized AI Podcast

Who are the invisible human data-workers behind the “magic” of AI, and what does their work really look like?

In this episode of THE PEOPLE'S AI, presented by Vana, We pull back the curtain on AI data labeling, ghost work, and content moderation with former data worker and organizer Krystal Kauffman and AI researcher Graham Morehead. We hear how low-paid workers around the world train large language models, power RLHF safety sy...

What if your robot vacuum accidentally leaked naked photos of you onto Facebook—and that was just the tip of the iceberg for how your data trains AI?

In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Vana, we kick off Season 3 with a deep-dive primer on the real stakes of AI and data: in our homes, in our work, and across society. We start with a jaw-dropping story from MIT Technology Review senior reporter Eileen Guo, who uncovered ...

How do we protect privacy in an AI-powered world?

As AI systems become increasingly powerful, they’re also becoming increasingly invasive. The stakes are no longer theoretical — they’re immediate and personal. From hospitals and law firms to small construction firms, businesses across industries are facing a pressing dilemma: how can we unlock the benefits of AI without compromising sensitive data?

In this episode of The People’s AI,...

What happens when AI runs out of energy? As models grow exponentially, the world’s compute and energy needs are skyrocketing—and our current infrastructure may not keep up.

On today's episode of THE PEOPLE'S AI, presented by Gensyn, we speak with Greg Osuri, founder and CEO of Akash Network, to dive into the future of decentralized AI and why distributed compute could be the key to solving AI’s looming energy crisis. Greg ...

What does it mean for AI to be creative? Can a machine surprise us—or even move us?

This week, we explore the frontier of AI-generated art, emotional AI, and decentralized creativity through two very different lenses. In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Gensyn, we speak with Mario Klingemann, creator of the autonomous artist Botto, and Shavonne Wong, the mind behind the interactive AI companion Eva.

We look at how Botto ...

How will AI Agents transform the world? And why do they need to be Decentralized?

This episode explores the frontier of AI agents—their power, their risks, and their role in shaping our future, on THE PEOPLE'S AI, presented by Gensyn. Host Jeff Wilser talks with Shaw Walters (founder of Eliza Labs) and Harry Grieve (co-founder of Gensyn) about what happens when AI agents become autonomous, self-coding, and capable of running th...

Should AI be regulated by governments, left to the courts, or guided by open markets and open source? That question is at the heart of this thoughtful, civil debate between two leaders shaping the future of AI policy.

In this episode of The People’s AI, we’re joined by Justin Hendrix (Tech Policy Press) and Jeff Amico (Gensyn) for a wide-ranging conversation on how — and by whom — artificial intelligence should be governed. We explo...

What if we could trust AI results the way we trust cryptographic signatures? That’s the radical promise behind Gensyn’s work—building verifiable, decentralized AI infrastructure from the ground up.

We kick off Season 2 of The People’s AI with Ben Fielding and Harry Grieve, the co-founders of Gensyn. We hear how their origin story began in a London warehouse—right before COVID lockdown—and how their mission has evolved from federated...

Why can ChatGPT write your emails, but robots still can’t fold your laundry? The answer isn’t hardware—it’s data.

On today's episode of THE PEOPLE'S AI, presented by Vana, we speak with Bayley Wang, co-founder of PrismaX, a startup building the “base layer” for real-world robotics. 

PrismaX connects user-generated video data—like clips of people folding sheets or restocking shelves—with robotics companies that are desperate...

What if your personal data wasn’t  being harvested — but instead valued, tokenized, and returned to you?

That’s the radical shift proposed by Vana, a platform building decentralized data marketplaces that aim to give users economic power over their own data.

In this episode of "The People's AI," we speak with Art Abal, Vana’s co-founder, to unpack how today’s data economy works behind the scenes — and why it’s fundamen...

What’s real in Crypto + AI—and what’s just noise? In this episode of THE PEOPLE'S AI podcast, presented by Vana, we sat down with two top investors to unpack the actual state of decentralized AI. These are the people who see all the decks, hear all the pitches, and are funding what they believe is the future of the space. So what’s legit, what’s frothy, and where’s it all headed?

First, we talk with Alex Odagiu, Investment Dire...

In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Vana, we explore one of the most promising frontiers in artificial intelligence: federated learning.

We speak with Nic Lane, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Flower Labs and a professor at the University of Cambridge, to unpack why decentralized AI may not only be more ethical—but more effective—than centralized systems.

We dive into:
•Why centralized ...

In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Vana, we dive into one of the most compelling intersections in tech today: AI agents and crypto infrastructure. Our guest is Bryan Pellegrino, co-founder and CEO of LayerZero Labs. His journey is anything but ordinary—former top-ranked professional poker player, model builder for MLB teams alongside Billy Beane, and now a key architect of decentralized AI infrastructure.

We explore th...

In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Vana, we sit down with Jason Zhao, co-founder of Story Protocol, one of the most ambitious projects at the intersection of AI, blockchain, and intellectual property.

We explore how Story Protocol aims to reinvent the $61 trillion global IP economy by transforming IP into a liquid, programmable, and creator-friendly asset class. From Hollywood screenplays to DNA datasets, from fashion ...

In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Vana, we dive deep into the evolution of decentralized AI with Ramesh Raskar, Associate Professor at the MIT Media Lab and advisor to Vana.

We explore why decentralized AI isn’t a rival to centralized AI—but a natural next step. Ramesh outlines a five-phase framework for the evolution of intelligent systems, moving from the “mainframe era” to the emerging “web of AI agents.” Along the...

In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Vana, we explore the frontier of Data DAOs — decentralized projects that empower people to take control of their data and get rewarded when it’s used to train AI.

Our data is everywhere—sleep tracked by Oura rings, heart rates logged by smartwatches, comments posted on Reddit, even the layout of our homes as mapped by Roombas. Until now, most of that data has been hoovered up by tech ...

DeFi promised to make finance more accessible, but has it lived up to that vision? In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Vana, we explore how AI agents are reshaping decentralized finance (DeFi) and whether they can simplify complex yield farming, crypto investing, and smart contracts for everyday users.

We’re joined by Renç Korzay, co-founder of Giza, a project at the forefront of AI-powered DeFi automation. We discuss h...

Welcome to 2025's "deAI Summer." Decentralized AI is emerging as one of the most significant shifts in artificial intelligence and blockchain. In this episode of The People’s AI, presented by Vana, we sit down with Jake Brukhman, founder and CEO of CoinFund, to explore the growing intersection of AI and Web3, the challenges of open-source AI, and what it means for AI investing and crypto-backed AI startups.

We break d...

AI is nothing without data. It doesn’t exist without it. It doesn’t get good without good data. It doesn’t get great without great data.

Right now, two major problems are colliding in the world of AI:

1. Data transparency – Most AI companies don’t disclose where they get their training data, leading to lawsuits and ethical concerns over how models are built.

2. Data scarcity – AI companies are running out of high-quality data. Much of...