The key bit of it is this: > StorJ is not able to find new hosting environments on its own, due to a lack of sufficiently powerful AI— but it can purchase the

The key bit of it is this: > StorJ is not able to find new hosting environments on its own, due to a lack of sufficiently powerful AI— but it can purchase the knowledge from humans: When an instance of StorJ is ready to reproduce it can announce a request for proposal: Who will make the best offer for a script that tells it how to load itself onto a new hosting environment and tells it all the things it needs to know how to survive on its own there? The 'AI' doesn't have to be smart it enough to do everything itself, it just has to be smart enough to be able to hire a human to help it. This step could be broken down into lots of mturk-style tasks, each done by a different human: 1) Find hosting providers who accept Bitcoin 2) Evaluate the service provided by these hosting providers 3) Sign up for an account on this hosting provider 4) Setup an account on this server with this SSH public key You could even deal with legal issues that way - have a retainer with a law firm, and if any issues crop up send them an email.