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Story Protocol Co-Founder Defends Token Unlock Delay to 2026 for AI Development

S.Y. Lee announces a six-month delay in the IP token unlock to August 2026, maintaining locked team and investor holdings while focusing on licensed human-generated data for AI training.

IP

Summary

Story Protocol co-founder S.Y. Lee confirmed a six-month postponement of the first large-scale IP token unlock, moving it to August 2026. All team and investor tokens will remain locked to mitigate short-term supply pressure. The project's strategic focus is shifting toward licensed human-generated data for AI model training, evolving from its prior emphasis on tokenized media to a broader enterprise-grade IP licensing model aimed at supporting large-scale, compliant AI data usage.

Terms & Concepts
  • Token Unlock: The release of previously locked cryptocurrency tokens into the circulating supply, typically following a vesting schedule for investors and team members.
  • IP Licensing: The process of granting rights to use intellectual property under defined terms, including for AI model training purposes.
  • AI Training Data: Curated datasets, often human-generated, used to train artificial intelligence models to perform specific tasks or improve accuracy.