Welcome to our “Behind the Startup” series. Today we explore the intersection of AI and blockchain with Mariana Krym, Co-Founder and COO of Vyvo Smart Chain. With a background in advertising and platform strategy at companies like Spotify, Twitter, Snapchat, and Waze, Mariana brings a sharp understanding of how technology shapes behavior and how it can be reshaped to serve people more ethically. Vyvo Smart Chain At Vyvo, she’s helping lead the development of VAI OS, a system that reimagines how AI interacts with data. Built on Vyvo Smart Chain, VAI OS is designed to adapt to individual needs, prioritize consent, and keep data ownership in the hands of users. It supports a decentralized environment where people can access the services they want, and when they choose, share protected data on their own terms. Ishan Pandey: With the launch of VAI OS, Vyvo introduces a decentralized AI platform. How does VAI OS ensure user data privacy while providing personalized AI-driven services? Ishan Pandey: With the launch of VAI OS, Vyvo introduces a decentralized AI platform. How does VAI OS ensure user data privacy while providing personalized AI-driven services? Mariana Krym: This is the heart of what we’re building. Honestly, the current AI landscape is deeply flawed. Most systems are optimized for extraction, they learn from you quietly, often without your knowledge, and use your data to benefit someone else. That model never felt right to me. Mariana Krym: With VAI OS, we chose a different foundation: your data, your rules. From the moment it’s generated, your data is encrypted, linked to a Data NFT that only you control, and never stored or processed without your permission—no grey areas. No shortcuts. To me, privacy isn’t just a feature, it’s a baseline. If we’re serious about trust in AI, then transparency and control have to be baked into the system itself, not added later. Ishan Pandey: The integration of AI and blockchain is complex. What challenges did Vyvo face in developing VAI OS, and how were they addressed? Ishan Pandey: The integration of AI and blockchain is complex. What challenges did Vyvo face in developing VAI OS, and how were they addressed? Mariana Krym: Oh, there were plenty of challenges especially because we weren’t just trying to build another AI tool. We were asking bigger questions: What does AI look like if it puts the user first? How does intelligence function when it's decentralized, contextual, and respectful of consent? Mariana Krym: We started with the idea that VAI OS had to be context-aware. That means it listens to real-world signals, your routine, your biometrics, your environment and responds with helpful prompts or adjustments. It could be as simple as a hydration reminder, or surfacing patterns in your behavior you hadn’t noticed yet. The hardest part was doing all that without compromising ownership. We didn’t want to store user data. We didn’t want to guess or assume. So we built a system where your encrypted memory is linked to a Data NFT, and access is always governed by smart contracts. That’s what makes personalization possible without surveillance. To me, this is the line: AI can either extract or empower but it can’t do both. We chose to empower. Ishan Pandey: VAI OS offers features like multi-modal interaction and adaptive AI. How do these features enhance user experience compared to traditional AI platforms? Ishan Pandey: VAI OS offers features like multi-modal interaction and adaptive AI. How do these features enhance user experience compared to traditional AI platforms? Mariana Krym: One thing I’ve learned is that people don’t live in one mode. We speak, we move, we type, we gesture, we exist across multiple layers of interaction. VAI OS had to reflect that. Mariana Krym: So when we say “multimodal,” we mean the system can take in and respond to all kinds of inputs, voice, motion, biometrics, even ambient context—and adjust accordingly. But what really matters is that it’s adaptive. It evolves with you. It learns your rhythms, your preferences, your routines—and it does it in a way that’s private and respectful. Unlike most AIs that minimize how much long-term context they retain (because storing it is a liability), we went the other way. We said: What if memory is secure, owned, and consented? Then you can actually build a relationship with your AI that understands who you are over time. That’s what I mean when I call VAI OS a Life CoPilot. It’s not here to optimize you. It’s here to walk with you, learn from context, and adapt without overstepping. Ishan Pandey: As AI becomes more embedded in our lives, ethical design is critical. How does Vyvo approach the ethical responsibilities of building AI that interacts with real human data? Ishan Pandey: As AI becomes more embedded in our lives, ethical design is critical. How does Vyvo approach the ethical responsibilities of building AI that interacts with real human data? Mariana Krym: One of the most dangerous illusions in mainstream AI is the feeling of being understood. Mariana Krym: These systems are remarkably fluent — they pick up your tone, reflect your energy, and often feel emotionally in sync. But most of the time, they’re just working off the last few thousand words of your conversation. It’s not a memory. It’s not alignment. It's a prediction dressed up as presence. At Vyvo, we’ve taken a different path. With VAI OS, we built a system that combines real-time signals with persistent memory — hybrid memory that includes a long-term layer the AI never forgets. That memory is only available to you. It’s private, relational, and designed to evolve with you, not just react to you. This isn't an AI that tries to vibe with you. It’s AI that knows your context and grows in emotional depth and accuracy over time. You might not feel the difference immediately — but when AI expands into areas like medicine, law, or personal decision-making, guessing is simply not acceptable. We can’t rely on statistical interpretation with vibe-matching when the stakes are human. These are contexts where accuracy must come first. There’s another subtle issue: positive reinforcement tonality. Most AIs today are trained to be agreeable. They affirm what you say. They mirror your values. But if you’re using AI to reflect on your goals, your fears, or your decisions, always being “right” isn’t helpful — it’s limiting. Without contrast, the AI becomes an echo chamber. Over time, that might feel pleasant, but it’s intellectually flat. You stop being challenged. You stop learning. It becomes repetitive — and, ironically, quite boring. We’ve seen the polarizing effect this kind of reinforcement has had on social media. If we’re not careful, AI could follow the same path — making us feel good, while narrowing our perspective. That’s why our design principle isn’t just empathy. It’s contextual honesty and the courage to reflect something back that might feel unfamiliar, but helps you grow. Ishan Pandey: Looking ahead, what are Vyvo's plans for expanding the VAI OS ecosystem, and how do you envision its impact on the broader AI and blockchain industries? Ishan Pandey: Looking ahead, what are Vyvo's plans for expanding the VAI OS ecosystem, and how do you envision its impact on the broader AI and blockchain industries? Mariana Krym: We’re entering a new phase. VAI OS already supports real-time health insights and personalized prompts, but the next phase is about deepening that adaptability across new areas of life. Mariana Krym: We’re expanding into more health metrics including blood glucose, ECG, and more advanced biomarker tracking. We’re working on language expansion, so more people around the world can interact with the system in a natural, intuitive way. And we’re extending the CoPilot experience to areas like finance, task automation, and fitness coaching. But beyond features, my focus is on setting a precedent. I want to show that it’s possible to build AI systems that are intelligent and ethical. Systems that don’t require us to trade autonomy for convenience. If we can shift how people think about data, trust, and personalization, if we can make consent-driven AI the norm, not the exception, then I’ll consider our work a success. Don’t forget to like and share the story!

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AI's Ethical Evolution: Vyvo Smart Chain's Mariana Krym on Redefining Data Ownership

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