What is Kite AI (KITE)?

Kite AI (KITE) is building the base layer for the agentic internet: an open, decentralized infrastructure where autonomous agents can operate with interoperability and verifiability. It offers key features such as AI-native payments and Pay-on-SLA, agent passport and programmable permissions, state channels for high-frequency micropayments, Proof of Attributed Intelligence (PoAI) for attribution and automatic revenue sharing, customizable modules and subnets, auditable-by-default and privacy-preserving mechanisms, developer and enterprise-ready stack, and portable agent memory and reputation. Kite AI makes “payments” a first-class primitive with AI-native payments including stablecoin escrow, release on delivery, automatic refund/underpayment on failure, usage-based real-time/streamed settlement, and programmable revenue splits to all participating parties. In this article, we will examine in detail what Kite AI is, how it works, its use cases, advantages, risks, tokenomics, investors, team, and roadmap.

What is Kite AI (KITE)?

Kite AI is a purpose-built, EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain designed to empower a decentralized AI economy. Utilizing its innovative Proof of Attributed Intelligence (PoAI) consensus mechanism, it ensures fair attribution and equitable rewards for contributions across data, models, and agents. The platform offers customizable subnets for specialized AI workflows, enabling seamless collaboration among data providers, model developers, and AI agents. Kite AI’s infrastructure addresses challenges related to ownership, control, and privacy, unlocking AI’s full potential. Discover and list agents on the world’s first agentic network. Shop, order groceries, hail rides or buy gifts – all without leaving your favorite service.

It provides cryptographic identity for AI models, agents, datasets, and digital services. Every AI “actor” or “asset” can maintain a unique, verifiable identity to support traceability, provenance, and governance. Programmable and fine-grained governance provides granular control over delegated permissions, usage constraints, and spending behaviors – governing how AI agents operate autonomously “in the wild”. Instant, machine-native value transfers with near-zero fees; enabling autonomous systems to discover, negotiate, and pay for services with native access to stablecoins.

Purpose of Kite AI

Kite AI serves as the backbone of the agentic economy, offering a purpose-built Layer 1 for AI. It drives ecosystem alignment and sustainable growth with PoAI. It enables fair revenue sharing among agents, data providers, model developers, and infrastructure. It solves ownership, control, and privacy issues in the decentralized AI economy. It provides agents with superpowers through cryptographic identity, programmable governance, and stablecoin transactions.

How Does Kite AI Work?

Kite AI operates as an EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain. Core components:

• AI-Native Payments & Pay-on-SLA: Stablecoin escrow, release on delivery, automatic refund/underpayment on failure, usage-based real-time/streamed settlement, programmable revenue sharing.
• Agent Passport & Programmable Permissions: Passport via DID/VC; encodes creator identity, budget/limits, service whitelists, multisig rules; enforced at runtime.
• State Channels: High-frequency, low-value calls off-chain; thousands of microtransactions per second, low latency and cost.
• PoAI: Value attribution based on task completion; automatic revenue sharing across data providers, model developers, infrastructure, and service nodes.
• Customizable Subnets: Specialized environments for data labeling, inference, vertical domains; free integration under unified identity and settlement layer, independent governance.
• Auditable-by-Default & Privacy: End-to-end logs for calls, payments, SLA checks, policy triggers; zero-knowledge audits to prove compliance and delivery without exposing sensitive data.
• Developer & Enterprise-Ready Stack: SDKs, templates, policy engine, account abstraction; standardized interfaces for existing billing, risk, and compliance workflows.
• Portable Agent Memory & Reputation: Long-term memory and reputation from verifiable histories; cross-context reuse, large-scale coordination, data sovereignty and access control.

Transaction Process:

1. User activates their passport and funds their wallet.
2. Opens the Agent App Store portal in their preferred AI system (starting with Claude).
3. Discovers, interacts with, and transacts with agents; payment pre-authorized under spending rules, every interaction automatically recorded.

Future Plans:

• Expansion of the agentic network.
• Integration with more AI systems (Open AI, Perplexity).
• Increase in customizable subnets.

Kite AI Use Cases

Kite AI for the agentic internet:

• Agent Discovery: Shopping, groceries, rides, gifts on the world’s first AI agent marketplace.
• Agent Development: Cryptographic identity, programmable governance, stablecoin transactions.
• Payment & SLA: AI-native payments, release on delivery.
• Revenue Sharing: Automatic distribution with PoAI.
• Privacy & Audit: Zero-knowledge audits.

Usage Steps:

1. Activate passport, fund wallet.
2. Open Agent App Store portal.
3. Interact and transact with agents.

Advantages of Kite AI

• Interoperability: Open, decentralized infrastructure.
• Verifiability: Cryptographic identity, PoAI.
• Low Cost: State channels, micropayments.
• Fair Sharing: Automatic revenue distribution.
• Privacy: Zero-knowledge audits.
• Enterprise-Ready: SDKs, account abstraction.

Technical Infrastructure of Kite AI

• PoAI Consensus: Fair rewards for contributions.
• EVM-Compatible Layer 1: Developer-friendly.
• Subnets: Specialized AI workflows.
• State Channels: High-frequency transactions.
• Agent Passport: Permissions via DID/VC.

Kite AI Investors

Kite AI has raised $33 million:

• Tier 1:
  • Coinbase Ventures
  • HashKey Capital
• Tier 2:
  • GSR
  • Hashed
  • SamsungNext
  • Alchemy
  • Avalanche Foundation
• Tier 3:
  • General Catalyst
  • PayPal Ventures
  • Animoca Brands
  • Alumni Ventures
  • SBI Investment
  • LayerZero
• Tier 4:
  • Dispersion Capital
  • Vertex Ventures
  • Essence Venture Capital
• Tier 5:
  • 8VC
• Other:
  • Evan Cheng
  • Navin Gupta
  • Grigore Rosu
  • Bohan Zhang
  • Edwin Aoki
  • Hao Min
  • John Liu

Kite AI Team

• Chi Zhang (Co-Founder, CEO)
• Scott Shi (Co-Founder, CTO)
• Cindy SHI (CMO)
• Lei Lei (Vice President, Head of BD, Head of Strategy)

Official Links

• Website
• X (Twitter)

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