Jack Dorsey's financial technology company Block has unveiled Buzz, a free and open-source collaborative workspace built on the decentralized Nostr protocol that positions itself as an alternative to Slack and GitHub while giving artificial intelligence agents their own cryptographic identities.
A Decentralized Take on Team Collaboration
Buzz aims to reimagine how teams and software agents work together by removing the reliance on centralized platforms. Rather than routing communication and code through a single corporate server, the workspace operates on Nostr, a protocol designed for censorship-resistant, decentralized messaging and identity.
The tool blends the messaging functions associated with Slack with the version control and collaboration features popularized by GitHub. By combining these capabilities into a single open-source environment, Block is targeting developers and organizations that want more control over their data and infrastructure.
A workspace where humans and AI agents each hold their own cryptographic keys marks a notable shift in how digital collaboration could be structured.
Because the project is free and open source, anyone can inspect, modify, or self-host the software. That approach aligns with the broader ethos championed by Dorsey, who has become an outspoken advocate for decentralized protocols and open standards in recent years.
Cryptographic Identities for AI Agents
One of Buzz's defining features is that it assigns cryptographic identities not just to human users but to AI agents as well. This means autonomous software can participate in a workspace with a verifiable identity, allowing their actions and contributions to be authenticated within the system.
The design reflects a growing industry focus on integrating AI agents into everyday workflows, where machines increasingly handle tasks alongside people. Giving agents their own keys could help establish accountability and trust as automated systems take on more responsibilities.
Key elements of the Buzz launch include:
- Built on the decentralized Nostr protocol
- Free and open-source availability
- Cryptographic identities for both humans and AI agents
- Positioning as a rival to Slack and GitHub
The launch underscores Block's continued investment in decentralized technologies and signals that the company sees AI agents as central to the future of digital collaboration.