Pi Army

Pi Founder Chengdiao Fan spoke today at Consensus 2026 Miami in her session, “Aligning Web3, AI, and Blockchain for Utility.” Dr. Fan shared how Pi’s blockchain infrastructure, identity verification, and a globally engaged network can support utility-driven products and businesses in the AI era. Her talk built on a central challenge in the broader crypto industry: the frequent misalignment between token design and real innovation. While tokens in the industry have often been used primarily as capital-raising tools or quick exits, Dr. Fan discussed Pi’s approach to treat tokens as tools that can support growth, engagement, and long-term utility. Pi’s approach to ecosystem tokens and launch mechanisms focuses on tokens for user acquisition and integrating token design into the product innovation process. By using tokens to help products acquire real users who can engage, provide feedback, and use those tokens within actual product experiences, this approach connects token design more directly to utility and product development. More broadly, Dr. Fan’s talk invited discussion on how blockchain can help shape AI-era business models, financial literacy, ownership, and socioeconomic participation. As AI lowers the barrier to building, the focus shifts toward something harder to replicate: real users, real participation, and trusted human input at scale. Stay tuned for the full session video!