Why the Robotics Revolution will be Powered by Decentralized AI, w/ the Founder of PrismaX

What does it really take to bring robots into our everyday lives — to clean kitchens, fold laundry, or even restock shelves? In this episode of THE PEOPLE'S AI, presented by Vana, journalist Jeff Wilser sits down with Bayley Wang, co-founder of PrismaX, a startup aiming to reshape the future of AI robotics through decentralized data collection.

We explore why, despite all the flashy robot demos on YouTube, we’re still far from seeing useful robots in the real world. The answer: it’s not hardware — it’s data. From teleoperated robots to training robots with human video, Bayley explains why real-world robotics depends on vast, diverse datasets and how PrismaX is using user-owned data and data DAOs to solve the bottleneck.

Topics covered include:
• The limits of current automation and why software is still lagging
• How robot teleoperation works and why billion-dollar robotics companies are paying $50/hour for it
• Why robotics data labeling alternatives are crucial for scale
• Real-world use cases like robot sheet folding AI and warehouse restocking
• The intersection of crypto, Web3, and robotics infrastructure

Recorded just after PrismaX’s unveiling at the A16Z Demo Day, this episode offers a grounded, forward-looking take on how decentralized systems can accelerate progress in robotics and AI in the real world.

About THE PEOPLE'S AI Presenting Partner, Vana:
Vana's mission is to enable user-owned AI through user-owned data. Vana recently announced a collaboration with Flower Labs to build the world’s first user-owned foundation model.

About Vana's collaboration with Flower:
https://www.vana.org/posts/vana-flowe...

About Vana:
https://linktr.ee/vanahq

Vana on Twitter/X:
https://x.com/vana
Vana ecosystem: vana.com

Jeff Wilser on Twitter/X:
https://x.com/jeffwilser