OpenLedger rolls out OPEN mainnet to track AI and pay creators

The OPEN mainnet rollout introduces an attribution-driven infrastructure that records how datasets and models are used in artificial intelligence systems and pays contributors via the OPEN token. The launch formalizes what the team calls “Payable AI,” positioning OpenLedger as an onchain backbone for data provenance and automated compensation at a time when AI training practices face mounting legal and regulatory scrutiny.

That new network allows users to upload data into shared “datanets,” where developers can train models while the protocol tracks usage and distributes rewards through smart contracts. OpenLedger’s design aims to replicate the economics of creator platforms such as video- and content-sharing sites, but for researchers, writers and domain specialists whose datasets and labeled examples feed AI models.

According to the team, the launch comes as attribution has become one of the central debates in AI. Major AI firms have been criticized for scraping public and proprietary data without compensation, and several high-profile lawsuits in the United States and elsewhere are challenging how training corpora are assembled and used. OpenLedger’s founders pitch OPEN mainnet as infrastructure that can provide verifiable provenance records and programmable payouts embedded directly into AI workflows.

At the core of the new chain is a Proof of Attribution system, which records the lineage of each dataset, model and AI agent onchain. For every AI output, the protocol is designed to trace which contributed assets influenced the result, enabling transparent credits and automated payments based on actual usage metrics rather than static licensing deals. 

Developers integrating with OPEN mainnet can deploy AI agents without running their own infrastructure or custodial data stacks, the project says. Data producers plug into the network as suppliers, while the OPEN token acts as the unit used to compensate contributors, pay for access, and support the attribution engine. The team describes this as “Data-as-a-Shared-Service,” where data owners receive recurring income when models consume their work. 

OpenLedger’s architecture builds on Ethereum-aligned tooling. The network runs as an EVM-compatible environment with onchain registries for data and models, so model builders and application developers can use familiar smart contract frameworks while inheriting onchain provenance guarantees. Heavy AI training and inference can remain offchain, but the metadata about who contributed what — and who should be paid — is anchored to OPEN mainnet. 

The project is backed by prominent crypto investors. OpenLedger previously raised an $8 million seed round led by Polychain Capital and Borderless Capital, joining a growing group of web3 infrastructure teams working at the intersection of AI and cryptographic verification. Alongside the mainnet, the team is promoting “Payable AI” as a potential compliance and commercial framework for enterprises seeking clearer audit trails around data usage.

The OPEN token has been trading since September and is listed on major centralized exchanges like Binance or KuCoin. Market data providers show that, in line with broader AI-focused altcoins, the token is currently more than 80% below its early trading levels, reflecting the volatility across the AI token segment despite continued infrastructure launches.