NEAR Protocol Launches NEAR AI Lab to Drive Decentralized Artificial Intelligence

• NEAR Protocol launches NEAR AI lab led by Illia Polosukhin for decentralized AI research.
• NEAR Foundation invests in AI projects to position itself in the evolving AI landscape.
• Challenges in global open AI development highlighted by legal dispute between Musk and Open AI.
• NEAR aims to democratize AI with decentralized computing power and user-owned infrastructure.
• NEAR.AI led by Polosukhin and Skidanov, aligns with other blockchains leveraging AI technology.
• FLock and Venice AI introduce crypto rewards programs for AI training and development.

Summary :
NEAR Protocol, a leading consumer blockchain, has launched NEAR AI, a research and development lab focused on decentralized artificial intelligence (AI). The lab will be led by Illia Polosukhin, a co-founder of NEAR Protocol and co-creator of the influential Transformers AI architecture. The NEAR Foundation has also unveiled an AI-focused incubator and investment wing to support AI projects built on the NEAR ecosystem. NEAR aims to become a native ecosystem for decentralized AI research and applications, investing in core infrastructure, data collection, and monetization. This move positions NEAR as a major player in the evolving AI landscape. In related news, Elon Musk has sued OpenAI, accusing the company of breaching its non-profit mission. NEAR's push into AI aligns with other blockchains looking to leverage the technology, such as FetchAI, SingularityNet, and Ocean Protocol. Additionally, AI startups like FLock and Venice AI are launching initiatives to incentivize users and developers in the AI space. NEAR Protocol's focus on AI could boost the democratization of AI development and address issues of interoperability and scalability.

Sources :

- Decrypt