Ram Kumar is a co-founder and core contributor at OpenLedger, an AI-focused blockchain platform. He is known for his work in developing economic models for decentralized artificial intelligence and for pioneering the concept of "Payable AI." ^{[1] [2]}

Career

Prior to his work in the blockchain and AI sector, Ram Kumar gained extensive experience managing large-scale enterprise accounts valued in the multi-billion-dollar range. His portfolio of past clients includes major global corporations such as Walmart, Sony, GSK (GlaxoSmithKline), and The LA Times. ^[1]

As a co-founder and core contributor at OpenLedger, Kumar is responsible for guiding the project's strategic direction and operational execution. His role involves articulating the company's vision, overseeing major funding initiatives, cultivating ecosystem partnerships, and navigating complex international regulatory landscapes. He is a public-facing figure for the organization, representing OpenLedger at global investment conferences and in media interviews to explain its strategy and technological approach. ^{[1] [2]}

Payable AI

A central concept pioneered by Kumar is "Payable AI." This model integrates attribution directly into the architecture of an AI system. The objective is to create a mechanism where the original contributors of data and model components are automatically compensated through micropayments each time their work is utilized. This approach is designed to solve monetization challenges, particularly for open-source developers, by turning voluntary contributions into sustainable revenue streams based on the usage and impact of their work. ^{[1] [2]}

Key Initiatives

$25 Million China Fund

In July 2025, Kumar announced and detailed OpenLedger's launch of a $25 million fund dedicated to fostering the growth of decentralized AI and Web3 technologies in China. He described the initiative as a multi-faceted strategy to build a robust ecosystem for contributor-driven AI in the region. Kumar views China's developer and research community as one of the most active globally and believes the country's vast and diverse industrial datasets provide an "ideal proving ground" for implementing on-chain AI attribution at an enterprise scale. ^[2]

The strategy for deploying the fund includes several key pillars:

• Research and Development Infrastructure: Establishing dedicated research hubs in major technology centers, including Shanghai and Shenzhen.
• Ecosystem Development: Forming strategic partnerships with leading Chinese Web3 and AI labs, launching developer grant and hackathon programs, and supporting startups through the OpenCircle incubator program.
• Localization: Translating all Software Development Kits (SDKs), technical documentation, and training materials into Mandarin to lower the barrier to entry for local developers.
• Enterprise Adoption: Initiating joint pilot projects with Chinese enterprises to demonstrate the practical value and efficiency of contributor-driven AI models.

Kumar highlighted an early project from the OpenCircle incubator, a Shanghai-based team building a decentralized marketplace for data labeling, as an example of the fund's potential impact. Speaking on the project, he said, “By combining on-chain attribution with tokenized payments, they eliminate middlemen, improve data quality, and create an immutable audit trail.” ^[2]