At two in the morning, when the last data stream settled on the ZettaBlock dashboard, I knew it was time.
We were once the top "data stewards," turning the chaotic information from social media into Lego blocks in the hands of developers. But that night, a profound emptiness hit me: we had built a more glamorous cage, where data raced inside, yet was never truly free. Value was siphoned off by the platforms, and creators still struggled.
In that moment, I realized that patching the cage was meaningless. We must break it ourselves, and then, build a sky.
Thus, ZettaBlock turned around and became Kite.
1. Transformation: From 'data faucet' to 'economic continent'
When I announced it to the team, I saw confusion and also sparks. Many people asked, 'Your cloud services are doing well, why are you tackling the hard nut of blockchain?'
The reason is simple: In the AI era, data is not too scarce, but rather too unequal.
In the current model, your data is taken without compensation, and the AI trained with it charges you in return. This is not right. We believe that every data point and every model contribution should be clearly measured, and contributors should receive real-time rewards.
This is not a brand upgrade. It is a genetic recombination. We have transformed from service providers to rule makers at the underlying level—a brand new world where data, computing power, and AI agents can freely combine and trade fairly.
Kite, meaning kite, embodies the promise of this free sky.
2. Core: Why must it be a chain?
Friends and investors have questioned this heaviest decision. The answer lies in one word: 'Trust.'
You can efficiently process data with cloud services, but you cannot use cloud services to solve the fundamental problems of 'How much is my contribution worth?' and 'Can I really get paid?' Only blockchain can achieve this:
Immutable ledger: Recording every contribution, no one can deny.
Automatically executed smart contracts: Rules are established, benefits are automatically allocated, with no delays or deductions.
Permissionless participation: Anyone, any AI, can join this economic network at any time.
To this end, we even invented a new consensus mechanism—PoAI (Proof of Artificial Intelligence). It acts like a precise scale, measuring the subtle value of a data annotation, a second of GPU computation, or even a model decision, and converting it into real assets.
Trustworthy rules inspire great collaboration more than powerful tools.
3. First Light: When rules begin to create value
The moment that excited me the most came from our first module, Codatta.
A medical research institution, knowing that data contributions can earn 'royalties' continuously through on-chain rules, finally uploaded valuable anonymized datasets with peace of mind. Soon after, an AI diagnostic model was trained using this data and began providing services.
Data providers receive continuous returns, AI developers gain quality fuel, and patients obtain more accurate diagnoses—a positive feedback loop that spins because of trustworthy rules.
This is no longer a zero-sum game. It proves the correctness of our path and has earned us the firm support of top ecological partners like Avalanche.
4. The New World Takes Shape
Today, Kite's world has quietly launched:
KitePass: Issuing 'on-chain passports' for each AI agent, granting them programmable budgets and action permissions.
Autonomous marketplace: Integrating commercial interfaces like Shopify and PayPal, AI can autonomously 'shop' and sell services here.
Active test network: Hundreds of millions of interactions are happening, with countless applications we never imagined sprouting.
I am no longer that 'data guardian' staring at server loads. I have become a gardener in a new economic ecosystem, witnessing lives flourishing and thriving far beyond our initial expectations.
Final Words
This transformation made me realize that the greatest products do not meet a specific need. Instead, they build a stage, set clear rules, and then step back to watch countless people take the stage and perform splendid acts you never anticipated.
From managing 'data flows' to activating 'intelligent economies', Kite's journey is about unlocking the cage and inviting all things to grow.
The sky has opened, and wings are being generated. The story has just begun.
