Polygon’s AggLayer Boosts Sentient’s $85M Seed Round for AI Development
Sentient aims to democratize AI development by countering the dominance of tech giants like Google and Meta. The project has received a significant boost with an $85 million seed round investment led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund.
The open-source AI development platform, built on Polygon, an Ethereum scaler, is set to revolutionize the field of artificial intelligence. Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal’s involvement as a key contributor underscores the project’s ambitious scope.
Co-led by Founders Fund, Pantera Capital, and Framework Ventures, the funding round includes contributions from various investors, such as Ethereal, Robot Ventures, and Delphi. These funds will fuel the platform’s development, supporting the hiring of AI research and blockchain engineering experts.
Sentient’s goal is to provide a community-driven open-source platform for AI research and development that promotes the principles of open AGI. The project’s core contributors stress the importance of a balanced approach to AI development and the need to distribute its benefits equitably.
Emphasizing the risks associated with centralized control over AI, Sandeep Nailwal highlights the necessity of ensuring the technology aligns with humanity’s interests. Pramod Viswanath, a core contributor and engineering professor at Princeton University, advocates for community ownership and the return of economic value for contributions in AI development.
The concept of new property rights in AI proposed by Viswanath aims to distribute power and benefits more fairly among stakeholders. By fostering a collaborative and inclusive approach to AI development, Sentient seeks to ensure that the advantages of AI technology reach a broader audience.
While acknowledging the challenges of decentralizing certain aspects of AI, such as inference, Sentient remains committed to overcoming these obstacles. The platform plans to collaborate with academic institutions and industry players to advance its mission of developing an open AGI platform.
The involvement of prominent investors and industry leaders demonstrates the significance of Sentient’s initiative in democratizing AI development. With substantial funding and support, Sentient is poised to make meaningful progress in the field.
Overall, Sentient’s vision of a community-driven AI platform represents a crucial step towards aligning the technology with human interests. The project’s commitment to diverse contributions and opinions underscores its potential to drive innovation in the AI field.
