In this episode of the DePINed Podcast, host Tom Trowbridge sits down with Max Li, founder and CEO of OORT, a decentralized AI data collection and compute platform that’s scaling globally and fast. Max is also a professor of electrical engineering at Columbia University and a pioneer in blockchain-based data infrastructure.
Building the World’s Largest AI Data Contributor Network
Max and his team at OORT have a clear goal: build a global infrastructure that powers the next generation of AI by solving the biggest bottleneck no one owns yet — training data.
While compute (NVIDIA) and algorithms (OpenAI, Google DeepMind) are dominated by centralized incumbents, data remains unclaimed territory. OORT is capitalizing on that gap by creating a two-sided, tokenized platform:
- Data Contributors — 350K+ individuals from over 100 countries
- Node Operators — 100K+ devices (called DEIMOS) storing and processing data
With contributors submitting structured data (text, voice, video, image, surveys, etc.) in response to client requests, and nodes providing decentralized storage + compute, OORT has built a DePIN-powered AI stack that scales beyond centralized cloud.
Real Use Cases: From Pedestrian Footage to Home Device Transcripts
OORT helps AI clients gather hard-to-source, edge-case data — from nighttime pedestrian videos for self-driving systems to smart home voice interactions in dozens of dialects.
What sets OORT apart is that all tasks are:
- Proactive, not passive (unlike scraping extensions)
- Geo-targeted, fulfilling use cases that require regional diversity
- Recorded on-chain, ensuring data traceability and quality
Clients include traditional AI companies that want authenticity, coverage, and speed — all of which OORT delivers via a decentralized network.
Infrastructure That Pays Real People
- Contributors earn in OORT tokens for completing data tasks
- Node providers earn by storing and processing that data
- AI companies pay in fiat, and OORT uses those proceeds to buy tokens off the open market and redistribute them — a live buy-and-use model
With over 1 million contributors as the 2024 goal, OORT is becoming a Web3-native alternative to platforms like Scale AI, which was recently acquired for $14B.
Launching a Data Launchpad: TikTok for AI Collection
In October 2025, OORT will roll out its most ambitious product yet: a Data Launchpad — where anyone (companies, DAOs, researchers, creators) can launch data collection tasks, fund them with any token, and reward contributors at scale.
Think: TokenQuest meets Mechanical Turk, with a UX that feels like TikTok.
The Deep DePIN Stack: Storage, Compute, Governance
- Node infrastructure is globally distributed
- Contributors level up via staking (Tier 1–4) to earn access to higher-value tasks
- Tokens are used for payments, governance, and slashing mechanisms
All collected data bypasses centralized cloud providers like AWS or GCP — it lives entirely in OORT’s own decentralized storage layer.
Key Takeaways from Max Li
- Quality control is the biggest challenge: OORT has built robust, proprietary in-house systems to filter out fake, AI-generated or duplicate data
- Early contributor flywheel: Crypto payments + real-world impact drive global engagement (including work with the UN on microjobs in Africa)
- Staking-based contributor levels create long-term engagement and token demand
Max believes we’re witnessing a new era where decentralized labor + compute = the foundation for intelligent systems.
“Data will be the bottleneck for AI and the infrastructure to collect, verify and deliver it must be decentralized.”
About DePINed Podcast
DePINed is a podcast exploring the frontier of decentralized physical infrastructure, hosted by Tom Trowbridge, co-founder of Fluence. Each episode features in-depth conversations with founders, builders, and investors who are shaping the future of real-world Web3 networks.
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