Block, the payments company formerly known as Square, launched Buzz this week, an open-source collaboration platform built on the Nostr protocol. The platform combines chat, Git hosting, and AI agents — with those agents treated as full team members. Buzz also includes cryptographic features, though Block hasn't detailed exactly which ones.
Chat, Git, and AI in one place
Buzz integrates three core tools into a single interface. Users can message each other, host and collaborate on Git repositories, and work alongside AI agents that are treated as team members rather than external tools. That means the AI can be assigned tasks, participate in discussions, and access the same codebase. It's a direct attempt to unify workflows that today often require switching between Slack, GitHub, and a separate AI assistant.
Built on Nostr
Nostr is a decentralized protocol that doesn't rely on a central server. Block's choice signals a bet on censorship-resistant infrastructure. Buzz is open-source, so anyone can inspect or fork the code. The protocol's simplicity — it's essentially a set of relays and signed events — makes it a natural fit for a platform that wants to give users control over their data. Block has been a notable backer of Nostr development, and Buzz is its most ambitious product built on the protocol so far.
AI agents as colleagues
The most unusual feature: AI agents are first-class participants. They have identities, can be mentioned in threads, and can push code. This could change how teams collaborate — imagine an AI that reviews pull requests, writes documentation, or even fixes bugs autonomously. But it also raises questions about security and accountability. If an AI agent introduces a vulnerability, who's responsible? Block hasn't addressed that yet.
Cryptographic features
Buzz includes cryptographic features, likely for identity verification and message signing, given Nostr's design. The protocol uses public-key cryptography by default, so every message and action in Buzz can be signed and verified. Block hasn't published a full spec, but the open-source code will reveal the details. For now, the company is positioning Buzz as a tool for teams that want privacy and decentralization without sacrificing modern collaboration features.
Buzz is available now as an open-source project. Developers can find the code on GitHub and start running their own instances. Whether it gains traction against established tools like GitHub and Slack remains to be seen — but Block is betting that a decentralized, AI-native alternative has a place in the market.
