What is Bittensor (TAO)?

Bittensor’s a crypto project that blends AI with blockchain—sort of an open network where machine learning models talk, trade, and learn from one another. The TAO coin powers it all. Miners earn TAO for useful computation, validators keep things honest, and holders vote on upgrades. Launched in 2021 by the Opentensor Foundation, it aims to build a global AI economy that’s open and incentive-driven.

How does TAO actually work inside the network?

It’s both the fuel and the filter. You stake TAO to validate, earn it for running AI workloads, and spend it for access to models or data. Every subnet—the specialized AI clusters—runs on TAO flow. So the coin isn’t just a reward system; it’s how the whole protocol breathes.

Why do people call Bittensor’s launch “fair”?

Because there was no pre-sale, no private investors, no team stash. Every single token came from mining. The design feels almost old-school—like Bitcoin, but for intelligence instead of hash power. That fairness is part of why the community trusts it so deeply.

What’s unusual about TAO’s tokenomics?

Fixed cap at 21 million tokens, with 7,200 TAO minted daily and halvings tied to supply milestones. Fees get burned, then re-emitted later, stretching the schedule just a bit. It’s slow, transparent, and built for decades rather than hype cycles.

How are new TAO coins unlocked or earned?

They unlock through daily emissions only—no cliffs, no vesting. Between September and December 2025, miners and validators received roughly 3,600 TAO a day. The next halving, expected around November 2025, cuts rewards by half again. That rhythm keeps distribution steady and predictable.

Did the project ever raise outside capital?

Not in its early life. Only in 2025 did a spin-off group, TAO Synergies, raise $11M from DCG and DWF Labs. The core network never sold tokens or granted private allocations—everything still comes from emission mining.

Where’s TAO traded right now?

You’ll find it on Binance, Coinbase, KuCoin, Bitget, and a few others, mostly against USDT or USD. There’s also wTAO bridged to Ethereum for DeFi use. Liquidity’s solid, but true to form—this coin was never “launched,” just earned.

Any airdrops or community giveaways?

Not really. Rewards flow to those who contribute computing or validation work. The community’s energy shows up at events like the “Endgame” summit and NeurIPS meetups rather than through token drops.

What are the main risks around Bittensor?

Scalability, validator centralization, and AI quality control top the list. Regulatory pressure on AI-crypto hybrids could come later. Yet for all that, the mission’s clear—turn AI itself into a decentralized public good. That’s the bet TAO holders are making.