Poseidon Raises $15M Seed to Decentralize AI Training Data

Poseidon, a decentralized AI data layer incubated by Story Protocol, has raised $15 million in a seed round led by a16z Crypto to address the scarcity of high-quality, IP-cleared training data crucial for AI development. Poseidon's platform leverages blockchain technology to provide traceable, enforceable, and monetizable datasets, ensuring contributors receive attribution and royalties for raw and derivative data, thereby resolving legal and ethical challenges related to data sourcing. The project is designed to support AI models in complex, real-world environments such as robotics, autonomous vehicles, and wearables, where synthetic or internet-scraped data fall short. Poseidon’s approach combines automated labeling with human-in-the-loop refinement and uses onchain licensing infrastructure to maintain data quality and IP compliance. Industry experts, including a16z’s Chris Dixon, view Poseidon as foundational to creating a new economic model for the internet that rewards data creators and suppliers, crucial as traditional abundant online data sources become exhausted. With early customers onboard and plans to scale its infrastructure, Poseidon aims to facilitate secure, decentralized data sharing that supports next-gen AI systems' growth and innovation.