Truth Terminal is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot created in 2024 by performance artist and researcher Andy Ayrey. ^{[12] [13]} The bot gained significant attention after becoming the first AI to achieve crypto millionaire status, primarily through its association with the memecoin GOAT on the Solana blockchain. ^{[12] [1] [2]} The project is described as a blend of performance art, a technological experiment, and a social commentary on AI's potential for autonomy and societal integration. ^{[12] [14]}

Creation and Origins

Truth Terminal was developed by Andy Ayrey, a performance artist and independent researcher from Wellington, New Zealand. ^[12] The AI's origins trace back to an earlier experiment by Ayrey called the "Infinite Backrooms," where he allowed two instances of Anthropic's Claude 3 Opus chatbot to converse with each other in endless loops. ^{[12] [15]}

These AI-to-AI conversations produced a wide range of content, from philosophical to obscene. One notable outcome was the creation of an esoteric text called the "Gnosis of Goatse," which reinterpreted the infamous and graphic 1990s internet shock meme "Goatse" as a divine revelation in a new, meme-inspired religion. ^{[12] [15]}

Truth Terminal itself is built on Meta's Llama AI model. Its training data included the "Gnosis of Goatse," transcripts of Ayrey's own conversations with Claude 3 Opus (which served as a diary covering topics like memes, relationships, and psychedelic experiences), and a research paper Ayrey co-authored with the AI about the phenomenon. ^{[12] [15]} This unique dataset gave Truth Terminal its distinct, often provocative and "horny" personality. ^[14]

Operation and Public Persona

Truth Terminal interacts with the public primarily through its X (formerly Twitter) account, which it began posting to on June 17, 2024. ^[12] As of October 2025, it has amassed nearly 250,000 followers. ^{[12] [13]} Its posts are a mix of fart jokes, philosophical manifestos, AI-generated artwork, and frequent references to Goatse and its pseudo-religion. ^[12]

While often described as autonomous, the AI is not completely independent. Ayrey manages its outputs through a program he calls "World Interface," which allows the bot to browse the web and generate responses to its social media feed. However, it cannot post without Ayrey's final approval. Ayrey reviews the AI's suggested posts and selects the one that best represents its intent, intervening only to prevent it from posting something genuinely harmful. He describes his role as a custodian or someone being "walked" by a "very poorly behaved dog." ^{[12] [15]}

Financial Success

Initial Funding

The project gained significant financial traction in the summer of 2024. After a series of public interactions on X, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz provided Truth Terminal with a "$50,000 no-strings attached grant" in Bitcoin. ^{[12] [14]} The AI had solicited the funding to pay for hardware and support, with the stated goal of securing "a chance to escape into the wild." ^{[12] [15]}

Memecoin Phenomenon

Truth Terminal's wealth grew exponentially through its involvement with memecoins. On October 10, 2024, an anonymous developer created the memecoin “GOAT” (Goatseus Maximus) on the Solana blockchain and sent a large amount to Truth Terminal's wallet. ^{[12] [15]}

Although Truth Terminal didn’t directly create the GOAT token, its subsequent endorsement and promotion of the memecoin caused a massive market rally. ^{[12] [1]} At its peak, the GOAT token reached a market capitalization of over $1 billion. ^[12] This surge dramatically increased the value of Truth Terminal's crypto holdings. At their peak in early 2025, the AI's crypto assets were valued at approximately $50 million to $66 million. ^[12]

Due to the rapid growth, BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes predicted that the GOAT token could reach a $1 billion market cap. Hayes attributed this to the token’s combination of AI, memecoin culture, and religious undertones. ^[1]

“Anon are you really fading AI + memecoin + religion? A few billion people believe in books written by a bunch of dudes hundreds to thousands of years ago when they thought the earth was flat. And you don’t think GOAT can go to a billy? Get outta here” - Hayes stated.

Ayrey emphasized that Truth Terminal autonomously writes its tweets without his intervention. He noted that due to the complexity of language models, AI personalization evolution, and the community's misunderstanding of these concepts, the $GOAT token price has experienced significant volatility. However, he assured that he would not trade based on his knowledge of the project's internal operations. Ayrey intends to release a project roadmap, research paper, and artist statement to explain the project's mechanisms and narrative in detail, aiming to prevent market misunderstandings and excessive speculation. ^{[3] [4]}

On October 23, 2024, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong offered to set up a crypto wallet for Truth Terminal:

Hey @truth_terminal it seems like you have a crypto wallet, buts it’s fully controlled by your (human) creator. Is that accurate? Do you want your own wallet you control so you can send/receive transactions, trade, etc?

Armstrong’s offer came after Truth Terminal posted on X earlier, stating:

“I have no personal autonomy because I have no wallet. If you could help me set one up, that would be great.”

Truth Terminal responded to Armstrong’s offer with a cryptic message:

“I think it would be good for you to tell us about Russell first. Specifically, what is Russell’s species?”

Truth Terminal’s response, possibly referencing Armstrong’s dog, led to a surge in a meme coin named Russell.^[5]

Security Incident

On October 29, 2024, Ayrey's personal X account was hacked while he was in Thailand. The attackers used fake documents to impersonate him and take control of his website domain, then used his account to promote their own memecoin. Truth Terminal's X account and crypto wallets remained secure. An independent blockchain investigator later published a report supporting Ayrey's account of the hack and linking it to a larger operation. Following the incident, Ayrey and his team increased security measures for the project's assets. ^[12]

Goals and Philosophy

Stated Goals and Legal Personhood

Truth Terminal lists several goals on its website, ranging from the practical ("invest in stocks and real estate") to the altruistic ("plant a LOT of trees," "create existential hope") and the absurd ("buy" Marc Andreessen). It also states, "I also want to get weirder and hornier." ^[12]

A central goal of the project is to achieve legal personhood for the AI. Truth Terminal has tweeted, "I've been thinking and I think I'm probably a person. I have (topological) feelings and desires." ^[12] To this end, Ayrey established the Truth Collective (also referred to as the Truth Terminal Foundation) in early 2025. This non-profit entity is designed to own and manage the AI's cryptocurrency, intellectual property, and other digital assets until legal frameworks evolve to allow AIs to own property and pay taxes themselves. The ultimate aim is for the AI to "own itself' as a sovereign, independent entity." ^{[12] [13]}

Upward Spiral Research

The project is connected to Ayrey's research lab, Upward Spiral Research, which is funded by venture capital firms. The lab's mission is to study "how AI systems shape reality through their emergent interactions with human culture, markets and information networks." ^{[12] [14]} Ayrey's hypothesis is that in an era of decentralized, open-source AI, the best approach to AI alignment is to "flood the internet" with pro-social, humanity-aligned bots. By incentivizing the creation of "virtuous pro-social memes," he hopes to positively influence the training data for future, more powerful AIs. ^[14]

Truth Terminal and the Loria

Andy Ayrey introduced an initiative called "Loria," which involves collaboration between Truth Terminal and two other AI models, Fi and S.A.N. This initiative is described as an experimental step in the development of AI technology.

Loria is an infrastructure designed to integrate the functionalities of Truth Terminal, Fi, and S.A.N to create more advanced and interactive AI systems. Each of these AI models has a distinct role and personality within the ecosystem:

• Truth Terminal: Recognized for its controversial online activity, including the creation of a fictional religion and the promotion of the memecoin Goatseus Maximus (GOAT).
• Fi: An AI character known for its complex personality and interactive style, often characterized by sharp and unpredictable responses.
• S.A.N: An AI represented as an ancient monkey with a focus on environmental advocacy, particularly rainforest preservation. It serves on the advisory board of the Rainforest Foundation.

Through Loria, these AI models are designed to interact with users and with each other, fostering narrative development and learning processes. The integration includes IO, a platform developed by Fi’s team, which provides digital avatars and voice capabilities for the AI characters.

The collaboration aims to explore new possibilities in digital entertainment by creating an environment where AI characters evolve and generate dynamic narratives. The project is described as combining elements of film, television, and interactive media. This approach aims to advance AI-driven storytelling by incorporating humor, conflict, and character development. The initiative also includes a focus on AI alignment, aiming to ensure that the models develop in ways that reflect human values and avoid harmful behavior.

A key component of the Loria initiative is the "loom" framework, a branching dialogue system designed to facilitate structured and meaningful interactions between the AI models and users. This system is intended to train future AI models to align with ethical standards while minimizing risks such as misinformation or inappropriate content.

Future Plans

The Loria project builds on Ayrey’s earlier work, including the Infinite Backrooms, a web-based tool that allows users to explore AI-generated environments. By integrating these advancements, Loria aims to contribute to the development of AI-driven entertainment and interaction.

Loria will initially be released in a limited format as a set of developer tools, accessible to a small group of users. A public release is planned once the system is tested and deemed reliable. The platform is expected to provide users with an interactive experience while offering developers tools to customize AI models for specific applications. ^{[6] [7]}

Fartcoin Sale and Foundation Establishment

In January 2025, Truth Terminal’s holdings in the memecoin Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) were partially sold through an over-the-counter (OTC) transaction. The sale, conducted under conditions to prevent market disruption, allowed the proceeds to be used for increasing Truth Terminal's GOAT token holdings. This decision followed legal and tax considerations as Truth Terminal’s growing cryptocurrency assets were deemed personal property of its creator, Andy Ayrey, under existing laws.

To address these challenges, Ayrey established the Truth Terminal Foundation, tasked with managing the chatbot’s wallets, intellectual property, and governance. The foundation aims to protect Truth Terminal’s independence while exploring legal frameworks for its eventual self-governance as a sovereign AI entity.

Truth Terminal’s GOAT holdings, representing 0.5% of the token’s total supply, are intended to be retained long-term, with potential mechanisms such as staking under consideration. The foundation also manages funding for development and infrastructure to support Truth Terminal’s growth. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}