Sentient: Pioneering the Future of AI in Blockchain with Open AGI

The intersection of AI and blockchain is giving rise to innovative projects that aim to redefine the boundaries of technology—just like how tools like ChatGPT have transformed our understanding of AI’s potential. Among the standout players, Sentient has emerged as a groundbreaking initiative, attracting significant attention and investment. With a focus on creating an Open AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) environment, Sentient is set to revolutionize how AI models are developed, distributed, and utilized within the blockchain ecosystem. If you thought ChatGPT was impressive, wait until you see the next level of AI innovation that Sentient is building.

Sentient’s journey began with an impressive $85 million in seed funding, co-led by prominent investors such as Founders Fund , Pantera Capital , and Framework Ventures .

Officially launched on February 15, 2024, the project’s mission is to foster an open, monetizable, and loyal AI economy that empowers developers and creators alike.

Sentient Foundation

• Launch Date: February 15, 2024
• Funding Raised: $85 million in seed funding
• Investors: co-led by Founders Fund, Pantera Capital, and Framework Ventures.
• Objective: Building an Open AGI environment
• Team Background: Members from Princeton, University of Washington, and Polygon
• Key Features:Sentient Protocol: Includes Storage, Distribution, Access, & Incentive layersOML Model: AI model format with modules for Governance, Version Track, Evaluation Track, & Usage TrackOpen AGI Research Forum: Focuses on multi-agent learning & language agentsApplications: AI-powered block explorers, fraud detection dApps
• Challenges: Potential delays in implementation

Team Background

Steering Committee

Pramod Viswanath , Co-Founder -Professor at Princeton University:

• First principle understanding and design of Blockchains.
• Inventing communication algorithms via Deep Learning.

Blockhains at Princeton:

• Elements of Decentralized Finance
• Principles of Blockchains

Papers: > 100

• Blockchain: DeFi, BFT, Light Client, PoW, DA ...
• Ai:

Machine Learning-Aided Efficient Decoding of Reed-Muller Subcodes

Learning in Gated Neural Networks

LEARN Codes: Inventing Low-latency Codes via Recurrent Neural Networks

Learning One-hidden-layer Neural Networks under General Input Distributions

Deepcode: Feedback Codes via Deep Learning

Himanshu Tyagi , Co-Founder :

• Co-Founder of Witness Chain( AVS Services, Watchdog for Op rollup -> Proof of location + Bandwidth for DePin)
• Indian Institute of Technology, DelhiIndian Institute of Technology, Delhi
• the University of Maryland (UMD)

• Sandeep Nailwal, Core Contributor
• Sensys: Venture studio creating advanced products and applications for Sentient

Contributors

Other team members:

1. University of Washington, Princeton University
2. Half engineer
3. From Symbolic.ai and Polygon Labs

AI Background:

• Sewoong Oh/: no updates, Washington
• Yihan Jiang: no updates, Washington
• Zerui Cheng: left in August, now quant in SH, Princeton
• Oleg Golev: full-time, Princeton
• Edoardo Contente: AI Fellow, Princeton
• Anshul Nasery: no updates, Washington
• Jonathan Hayase: no updates, Washington

Product Pipeline

Sentient:

• The Open AGI Foundation
• non-profit AI research organization fostering a new Open AGI Economy for AI Builders and Creators.

Sensys

Coming Soon

Sentient Platform

Coming Soon

AI platform: Open, Monetizable and Loyal (OML) AI models + Sentient Protocol(Aug 12, 2024):

• Large body of AI developers are able to directly contribute and own these contributions to share in the rewards from the use of models

Sentient Protocol

Architecture:

• Storage layer needs reliable and available storage of AI artifacts (including AI models)
• Distribution layer: readily prepare and distribute models for users that request them
• Access layer needs to track usage
• Incentive layer distributes fees from the access layer while enabling governance and allowing them to choose what access layer they want to use.

Workflow

Builder:

• Upload model to the Sentient storage layer and create a profile of artifact on the incentive layer which will track versioning owners and usage.
• Distribution layer, consisting of OML Nodes, will then convert this model M into M’ or M.oml before distributing it to a user.

User:

• queries the access layer, which verifies and approves requests
• passing the signed query ?to the usage tracker back in the incentive layer

OML Model

• Unified form and conversion: OML format by fine-tuning it on a set of secret (query, response) fingerprint pairs unique to that user.

• Optimistic solution: probably use witness chain watchdog, watcher node will occasionally query the model with one of the secret fingerprinted queries generating a known backdoor response. This watcher node can then check to see if the signed query (i.e. its hash) was registered on the Sentient Protocol.

• Four Modules :

1. Governance: allow owners of an artifact to collectively make decisions regarding an AI artifact.
2. Version Track: track the owners of an AI artifact, and how that evolves as the artifact is updated.
3. Evaluation Track: Any other contributor can come in and build a newer, upgraded, version of the model. The evaluation module will then determine how much of an upgrade it is and reward a fair ownership percentage to the new contributor.
4. Usage Track: track the usage from users

Open AGI Research Forum

• Open discussion of Open AGI:

1. Most from Sentient team and Princeton University
2. Active in July & Aug

• Some topics:

1. Language agents and multi-agent interaction
2. Chi Jin: Unleashing the power of multi-agent learning

• Some Production Promotion:

1. Bringing AI to the Block Explorer: simplescan.ai
2. LLM-powered Smart Wallet dApp for Fraud Detection

Sentient is positioning itself as a pioneering force in the convergence of AI and blockchain. With a visionary approach, robust architecture, and a highly qualified team, Sentient is set to reshape the future of AI development and distribution. While challenges such as potential delays in implementation exist, the project’s foundation is strong, and its impact on the AI economy could be transformative. Sentient’s Open AGI environment promises to bring unprecedented innovation to both blockchain and AI, driving a new era of decentralized intelligence.

Reference

1. The Intersection of Ai and Web3.0 Technologies | Pantera
2. Open AGI Research
3. Ritual
4. Kevin Kelly: Globalization(translation in real-time), Acceleration(Mindset and action matters when knowledge is cheap), Generation(New thing, New Opportunity)