Jason Zhao is the Head of Protocol and co-founder of Story Protocol, a platform focused on using blockchain to simplify intellectual property management. With a background in AI at DeepMind, Zhao transitioned into blockchain technology, aiming to create more transparent and efficient IP ownership and licensing systems. ^[1]

Education

Zhao studied Philosophy and Tutorial at the University of Oxford. He later graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Philosophy and an MS in Computer Science. ^[3]

Career

Zhao is the Head of Protocol and co-founder of Story Protocol. He previously worked as a product manager at DeepMind, focusing on AI model deployment for industrial and enterprise use. Zhao has design education experience and contributed to publications exploring storytelling and technology. He transitioned from AI research to blockchain during the DeFi boom, founding Story Protocol to create a decentralized system for managing intellectual property. Zhao identified IP as a significant yet complex asset class and sought to simplify its ownership, licensing, and monetization through blockchain technology, particularly in response to AI's growing influence on content creation. ^{[2] [4] [5]}

Interviews

Story Protocol

On the Epicenter Podcast, Zhao discussed inefficiencies in the intellectual property (IP) market and the potential for blockchain-based solutions. He highlighted how high transaction costs, legal complexities, and opacity make IP deals inaccessible to most creators, benefiting only large corporations with extensive legal resources. Zhao emphasized that AI-driven content creation will further strain the current system, increasing the need for more efficient IP licensing. Story Protocol aimed to address this by introducing a programmable IP framework that links smart contract terms directly to legal agreements, enhancing transparency and liquidity. He connected this initiative to broader blockchain trends, noting its potential to restructure outdated institutions like decentralized finance, which transformed banking. ^[6]

Growing Creativity

In an interview with CoinDesk, Zhao discussed Story Protocol’s aim to build open intellectual property (IP) infrastructure on the blockchain to address challenges in tracking and licensing digital content. He described the platform as a system enabling creatives to register their digital or physical IP in a scalable data structure. The protocol facilitated permissionless licensing with automated royalty tracking, leveraging blockchain’s neutrality and composability to ensure transparent attribution and revenue distribution. ^[7]

Onchain Creator IP

On the Coinage podcast, Zhao, a former product manager at DeepMind, discussed co-founding Story Protocol to create a decentralized platform where creators could maintain ownership of their IP and easily license or monetize it. Story Protocol raised $140 million to address the challenges of intellectual property (IP) in the digital age, particularly for creators in the Web3 and AI landscape. Drawing from his experience in AI and blockchain, Zhao recognized that while blockchain revolutionized finance, it had yet to impact IP, which is central to creative industries. By leveraging blockchain technology, Story Protocol aimed to empower creators by providing tools to manage their IP without relying on complex legal frameworks, thus enabling a more collaborative and profitable environment for creators and their audiences. The platform seeks to transform the traditional model where creators are often sidelined, allowing them to set terms and incentivize others to build on their work, fostering a more open and efficient IP ecosystem. ^[8]

Presentations

Onchain IP

At Pragma San Francisco 2024, Zhao discussed the challenges and opportunities of managing intellectual property (IP) in the age of AI, focusing on how blockchain could address these issues. He explained that IP, which extends beyond traditional entertainment content to include things like personal likeness, software, and AI models, is a multi-trillion-dollar asset class that remains highly fragmented. Zhao emphasized the need for a system that enables creators to retain control over their work while reducing the friction and cost associated with licensing and enforcing IP rights. He outlined Story’s approach to embed IP rights directly into software, enabling automatic enforcement through blockchain technology. By doing so, Story seeks to empower creators to monetize their work more efficiently and engage with AI in a way that benefits both creators and consumers, ultimately fostering a more sustainable and collaborative creative ecosystem. ^[9]

Programmable IP

At ETHDenver 2024, Zhao discussed the challenges of content creation and IP attribution in the digital age, where generative AI and social media have made it easier for people to create and remix high-quality content. Despite the growing abundance of content, creators often struggle to monetize their work due to outdated IP frameworks and copyright laws. Zhao argued that the internet needs a new, programmable IP infrastructure to address these issues. Story Protocol aims to build this by creating an on-chain IP layer that allows creators to set programmable rights for their content, enabling permissionless remixing and royalties. The protocol aims to transform IP from a static, legal concept into a dynamic, digital asset that can transcend platforms and mediums, allowing creators to share and monetize their work more easily. ^[10]