According to Joe Lubin, the future of AI is about creating a user-owned human-AI collective, in which people and machines work together as one system.
Lubin explained that this user-owned human AI collective should give individuals more power, not less.
Humans and AI
Joe Lubin anticipates the emergence of a hybrid relationship between machine intelligence and human intelligence. According to Lubin, humans and AI will create a hybrid organism. In this future, powerful AI systems, called fundamental models, will help people make sense of the world in real time. These systems could track trends, explain events and provide information. However, Lubin says technology only works when companies treat humans as partners, not sources of free data.
Joe Lubin: AI should not devour human data for free
In an interview on the Green Pill podcast, Consensys founder Joe Lubin envisions a future where humans and artificial intelligence merge into a “collective hybrid organism.” He opposes Big Tech owning our user interfaces,… pic.twitter.com/gS0KShqe1I
-Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) January 15, 2026
Why AI should pay for human data
Lubin believes that AI systems should not use human data for free. Today, large technology companies collect user data without paying them, then monetize it. With a user-owned human-AI collective, humans would share real-time information with AI systems.
This could include social feeds, conversations and sensor data. Users would receive tokens or other rewards in return.
Own your digital twin
Personal control of user interfaces is one of Lubin’s most important ideas. According to him, big tech does not have the right to have the means to allow people to connect to AI. Instead, each person would have their own digital twin. This digital twin would act as a personal controller, filtering data, protecting privacy and deciding what will be shared. Users could purchase, customize and control the technology. This configuration helps prevent abuse and protects people against massive manipulation.
Joe Lubin just dropped a massive prediction for 2026. 🤯
He believes Ethereum and MetaMask technologies are poised to rewire the global payments system through a major partnership with Swift.
He also predicts that stocks will make a complete transition to blockchain, which will be a game-changer… pic.twitter.com/h2jKYE247O
– Jungle Inc Crypto News (@jungleincxrp) January 4, 2026
Lubin further describes how user-run systems could clean and anonymize high-quality data and then send it to AI models. It ensures the safety of people while providing useful information. The result is a user-owned human-AI collective that enables cooperation and pays users. It also prevents AI from becoming a tool of control.
Conclusion
Joe Lubin’s vision of a user-owned human AI collective challenges how AI works today. AI can ensure that people retain control of their digital twins by paying users with data and protecting their privacy. This allows AI to become a common intelligence for everyone, rather than big tech companies.
Disclaimer
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