Two weeks in, the new AO community initiative Permabites is already gaining traction. Community members around the world are organizing small, local permaweb meetups to connect, learn, and build together.
Here are a few early highlights:
Bhopal, India
Community member @0xVipin hosted a Permabites meetup in Bhopal focused on introducing AO to local developers and students. The event included an intro session on decentralized computation, followed by a group Q&A and networking.
Attendees engaged in live demos, shared ideas for future AO-based apps, and discussed the role of decentralized compute in India’s growing tech scene. The energy was high, and follow-up gatherings are already in discussion.
Benin Kingdom, Nigeria
In Benin Kingdom, @HorizonXBT brought together local crypto builders to explore how AO and Arweave can support digital sovereignty. The meetup centered around real-world use cases of permanent data and decentralized computation.
The event opened with a walkthrough of Web1 to Web3, linking each evolution to broader human progress. This laid the foundation for a discussion on how decentralized infrastructure like AO can reshape AI systems—making them more transparent, autonomous, and locally useful.
Highlights included a group viewing of the AO launch presentation, a Q&A on decentralized AI, and a light technical demo of AO’s architecture. The crowd connected quickly to the core challenges of centralized AI—lack of transparency, data silos, and control points—and saw real value in decentralized alternatives.
One attendee asked, “What happens if large AI companies try to stop decentralized AI?” Another wondered whether everyday users could run AO nodes on personal hardware.
The event wrapped with food, conversation, and clear momentum. Attendees left more curious, better informed, and already planning the next Permabites gathering.
What is Permabites?
Permabites is a grassroots IRL growth project designed to support in-person gatherings for the permaweb community. Working in crypto and remote-first environments can make it hard to meet collaborators—or even see familiar faces offline. Permabites helps fix that.
Approved events receive $100 in AR tokens to help cover food, space, or other simple expenses.
How it works
- Host a small meetup (5–20 people)
- Spark a discussion about AO
- Document the event
- Share what you learned with the community
Applications are open for the pilot phase (April–June 2025). Suggested cities with IRL permaweb office space include San Diego, Berlin, Lisbon, and New York, but submissions from any location are welcome.
Upcoming Permabites Meetup
London — May 22
Community member @ApestinPowers is hosting a meetup titled “The Future of Web3, Decentralized AI, and Beer” at Canary Wharf.
The permaweb starts local
The permaweb isn’t about hype. It is about building a better web from the ground up. Arweave and AO provide the foundation, but the momentum comes from the people. Hackers, creatives, and builders experimenting with new ideas are what bring the network to life.
Initiatives like Permabites help spark that momentum. Some of the most active communities, like Arweave India, started as small local meetups and have since grown into national networks hosting hacker houses and full events like Arweave Day India.
If you want to connect with builders near you, Permabites is a great place to start. The permaweb won’t be built overnight. It grows through small, grassroots efforts that bring people together and create lasting connections.
Stay tuned for more coverage of Permaweb Events.