Cameron Dennis is a technology professional known for his leadership role at the NEAR Foundation, where he spearheads the development of user-owned Artificial Intelligence (AI). He is responsible for managing strategic partnerships, technical integrations, investments, and sales within the foundation's AI division. ^{[1] [2]}​

Education

Cameron Dennis studied at University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree between 2016 and 2018. Prior to this, he attended Santa Barbara City College from 2014 to 2016. ^[3]

Career

Cameron Dennis serves as the Director of AI at the NEAR Foundation, where he leads the strategic vision and execution for building a user-owned AI economy on the NEAR Protocol. His role encompasses four primary functions: establishing strategic partnerships with AI companies and researchers, overseeing the technical integration of AI models with NEAR's infrastructure, identifying and directing investments into AI projects within the ecosystem, and driving sales and commercial adoption of AI technologies built on NEAR. ^[1]​

A significant milestone under his leadership was the launch of several NEAR AI products on December 3, 2025. Dennis announced the debut of the NEAR AI Cloud and an application named Private Chat. These products are designed to provide verifiable privacy for user interactions with AI. They leverage hardware-backed solutions and cryptographic proofs to ensure that user data and AI prompts remain private and under user control. Early partners and users announced at the time of the launch included Brave Nightly, Openmind AG, and Phala Network. ^[2]​

Dennis's career has been closely tied to the NEAR ecosystem. In September 2022, he announced a temporary departure from his previous role at the NEAR Foundation to launch Banyan US. He founded this grassroots organization with the mission of increasing the number and quality of developers building on the NEAR Protocol within the United States. His subsequent return to the foundation as the Director of AI suggests a re-integration of this builder-focused mission into his current leadership responsibilities. ^{[2] [3]}

Public Appearances

Buildify Podcast

In August 2025, Cameron Dennis appeared as a guest on the Buildify Podcast to discuss the intersection of AI and blockchain technology at NEAR. In the episode, he provided a detailed overview of the concept of User-Owned AI, explaining its core principles and the value proposition for developers. He also elaborated on the technical architecture of the NEAR Protocol, the function of NEAR Intents, and the future roadmap for AI development within the NEAR ecosystem.