what's Poseidon?

Poseidon is a decentralized data layer designed to coordinate the supply and demand for high-quality, IP-cleared training data in AI development, particularly for physical AI applications like robotics, autonomous vehicles, and multi-modal agents. Built on Story Protocol, it enables programmable IP licensing through smart contracts, ensuring data provenance, traceability, and fair compensation for contributors. The platform uses subnets to structure data acquisition workflows, where AI teams specify needs, and contributors provide targeted datasets such as POV footage, dialectal audio, or sensor data, all validated and licensed on-chain. By addressing the data bottleneck in AI scaling, Poseidon creates an open marketplace that flips traditional supply-first models to demand-driven coordination. It formalizes the full data lifecycle—from collection and curation to licensing and distribution—making it easier for model builders, researchers, and data owners to collaborate securely. Incubated by Story Protocol and backed by a16z crypto, the project leverages blockchain to build a sustainable economic foundation for real-world AI training data.

Poseidon added to Grayscale's Q1 2026 "Assets Under Consideration" list in AI sector.

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