Apple Intelligence rival secures $10M to develop open-source alternative
#Apple2024 PIN AI, backed by a16z, develops a privacy-focused, open-source alternative to Appleâs AI, utilizing blockchain to empower users in monetizing their personal data.
PIN AI, an artificial intelligence infrastructure company, has secured $10 million in pre-seed funding and joined the Fall 2024 cohort of the a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator (a16z CSX).Â
According to a press release shared with Cointelegraph, the startup is focused on developing the first open-source Personal Intelligence Network (PIN).Â
The open-source solution, emerging from research collaborations at Ethereum Core, Stanford, and MIT, directly competes with Appleâs newly launched Apple Intelligence AI solution.Â
$ETH In a written Q&A with Cointelegraph, Ben Wu, a co-founder of PIN AI, explained that the Sept. 9 announcement coincides with Appleâs same-day announcement to âmaximize the impact of the communication.â
According to the press release, PIN AI is a privacy-focused, open-source alternative to Apple Intelligence, exclusive to specific iPhone models.
The decentralized alternative is designed to run on lower-spec smartphones and a wider range of devices, allowing it to be accessible to a broader audience.
Wu explained that âinternet giants like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon have built trillion-dollar empires based on user data.â
â...but users donât own any of it. Our AI x crypto solution allows users to earn token incentives based on the data they connect and the activities they perform [...] sharing ownership of the entire platform with the users.â
Open-source implications
The PIN AI platform will enable developers to create AI agents that operate on usersâ devices, utilizing user personal data in a decentralized and privacy-preserving manner.
According to the press release, the platform will use blockchain tech and advanced AI models to allow users to manage their data securely across multiple applications.