Pi Network co-founder announces the activation of Protocol 23, introducing smart contract functionality for the first time

Pi Network co-founders Dr. Chengdiao Fan (Dr. Chengdiao Fan) and Nicolas Kokkalis announced at the Consensus 2026 conference held in Miami on May 6 and 7 that Protocol 23 will be activated on May 11—this is a major upgrade, the first time full smart contract functionality is introduced for the Pi blockchain.

Details of the two speeches

According to coverage of the Consensus 2026 conference, on May 6, Dr. Fan delivered a speech titled “Practical Convergence of Web3, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain” on the “Convergence Stage” (Convergence Stage); on May 7, Kokkalis participated in a panel discussion titled “How to Prove You Are Human in the Age of AI (without Leaking Personal Information).”

According to confirmation from Pi Network’s official X account, on the podium Fan said: “This is the infrastructure that Pi has been building since 2019.”

Protocol 23 upgrade details

According to coverage from the conference, Protocol 23 will be activated on May 11, 2026. This is a major upgrade that marks the first introduction of full smart contract functionality for the Pi blockchain, as well as the key technical milestone four days after the close of the Consensus 2026 conference.

Pi Network KYC verification scale and the AI identity issue

According to coverage of the conference, in the panel discussion, Kokkalis, based on Pi Network’s KYC-verified user base, discussed solutions for confirming real human identities in the age of AI. According to publicly available data from Pi Network, it currently has about 18 million KYC-verified users and more than 526 million completed KYC verification tasks.

According to market data, after the two co-founders confirmed their attendance at the conference and delivered speeches on April 29, the price of the Pi token rose by more than 5%, and the token price was close to $0.187 in the week before the conference began.

Frequently asked questions

What talks did the two Pi Network co-founders give at the Consensus 2026 conference?

According to coverage of the Consensus 2026 conference, on May 6, Dr. Fan delivered a speech on the practical convergence of Web3, AI, and blockchain; on May 7, Kokkalis took part in a panel discussion exploring human identity verification in the AI era.

When will Protocol 23 be activated? What are its main features?

According to reports, Protocol 23 will be activated on May 11, 2026. This is a major upgrade—the first introduction of full smart contract functionality for the Pi blockchain.

How large is Pi Network’s KYC verification scale?

According to publicly available data from Pi Network, Pi Network currently has about 18 million KYC-verified users and has completed more than 526 million KYC verification tasks.