- Pirate Face turns open AI models into torrent links that can outlive their original host.
- Every weight file carries a checksum that matches Hugging Face's official copy.
- If Hugging Face deletes a model, whoever has a copy can keep sharing it.
- Anyone can browse, download or share models without creating an account.
- Only MIT and Apache 2.0 licensed models qualify, with one exception.
Pirate Face is a website that makes torrent links for AI models that are hosted on Hugging Face. A torrent is a file that can be downloaded from other people's computers, not just from one company's server. The site says its goal is to help open models survive even if Hugging Face ever takes them down. Anyone can browse, download or help share a model without making an account.
Pirate Face says every weight file carries the SHA256 fingerprint that Hugging Face published for it first. A SHA256 fingerprint is a code that matches the exact bytes of a file. The site says it uses that code so anyone can check a downloaded file wasn't changed.
Pirate Face says that while a model is still on Hugging Face, downloading it through the site pulls the file straight from Hugging Face at the same speed. If Hugging Face ever removes a model, the download switches to whoever else still has a copy on their own computer. The site marks that model Rescued, but it stays reachable only as long as someone keeps sharing it.
Pirate Face only accepts models released under the MIT or Apache 2.0 open source licenses, plus one listed exception. The site says more than 669,000 Hugging Face models qualify under those licenses.
People can claim a public handle on Pirate Face, and verifying a matching Hugging Face account earns a Verified creator badge. Pirate Face says it plans free compute credits and model releases you can only get through the site, though those benefits aren't live yet. The site also gives points for handles, referrals and rescued models, but says points aren't money and there's no token.
Pirate Face is also building a way to make existing AI tools ask it for a model instead of asking Hugging Face. The site says the files would still come from Hugging Face while they are there, and from other people's computers once they are gone. That feature isn't live yet, according to the site.
