Bittensor Validators like Neural Internet are Pioneering Decentralized AI
Bittensor, an open-source and blockchain-based protocol, is dawning a new era where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are not just centralized in the hands of a few tech giants. Bittensor Validators, play a crucial role in maintaining its integrity and functionality; one such validator that stands out as a leading contributor, is Neural Internet. This article begins by explaining what Bittensor is, followed by the general mechanics of any Blockchain Validator, followed by the pivotal role that Bittensor Validators play. The article then delves deep into Neural Internet specifically, while also providing insight on how Open-Source AI communities operate. Lastly, the article lists differences between Centralized AI & Decentralized AI.
What is Bittensor?
Originally conceptualized & built by the Opentensor Foundation, Bittensor is a p2p Mixture of Experts (MoE) model, in which individual peers are distilling knowledge from each other. Bittensor is also an open-source and blockchain-based protocol that rewards several network contributors (Miners, Validators, Nominees) with a digital commodity $TAO. This creates a transparent neural economy that’s auditable and open from the ground up.
- Miners … fine-tune multimodal (text, image, video, audio, etc.) models that train Bittensor, this democratized machine intelligence protocol
- Validators … evaluate intelligence produced by Miners’ fine-tuned models, record it on blockchain, help foster adoption of Bittensor, and fuel growth via application development & network effects
- Nominees … stake their $TAO tokens to the Validator(s) of their choice, helping advance development using Bittensor, all while earning more $TAO as rewards for doing so (currently 24% APR)
‘Blockchain Validator’ Explained
To fully understand the role of a Bittensor Validator, it’s essential to understand the general mechanics of any Blockchain Validator.
Imagine you’re playing a game of cards with your friends. Every time a player makes a move, everyone else needs to agree that the move is valid. If they do, the game continues. If they don’t, the move is rejected.
Blockchain Validators operate in the same manner, but instead of cards, they deal with transactions on blockchain. They check and confirm that every transaction is valid and follow certain rules (like a Referee) by using their computers — this process is known as ‘validation.’
Because Blockchain Validators have to agree on the validity of a transaction, it’s very difficult for individuals to cheat the system. In return for their work, Validators often receive a reward. This is usually in the form of the cryptocurrency of the blockchain they’re validating.
Pivotal Role of Bittensor Validators
Akin to the neurons in a human brain …
Bittensor Validators are the digital referees of the Bittensor network and akin to the neurons in a human brain, each playing a small but crucial part in a larger interconnected system. They’re entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the network’s integrity and functionality. Moreover, they’re responsible for evaluating fine-tuned AI models, processing requests from users, and providing responses. These responses are ranked based on their quality, and Validators are rewarded or penalized accordingly in $TAO.
This rewarding mechanism ensures that Bittensor Validators are incentivized to provide the best possible responses, thereby enhancing the overall quality of the network’s output.
Currently, there are 27 verified Validators contributing value to Bittensor.
TaoStats, for instance, supports the Bittensor eco-system through data provision, statistics and analytics that’s all available here. Moreover, Foundry, one of the largest crypto mining companies in the world, exclusively offers $TAO staking services to their clients as a Validator.
However, one illustrious Bittensor Validator that stands out is Neural Internet.
Neural Internet: A Leading Bittensor Validator
As an AI Research & Development Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), Neural Internet is at the forefront of leveraging Bittensor’s capabilities. They provide a wide array of services, from AI / Server Management to Model Optimization and Chat LLMs. Over 430 Nominees have delegated over 175,000 $TAO to Neural Internet’s Bittensor Validator.
Decentralized AI Chatbot
On July 11th, 2023, Neural Internet unveiled a free-to-use, open-sourced, and Decentralized AI Chatbot granting access to Bittensor’s intelligence. There’s no need to create & add API Keys, anyone can use it, with plug-ins and browser capabilities coming next.
Interactive AI Reply Bot
Reply Tensor is an interactive reply bot developed by Neural Internet, showcased on platforms like Twitter, Telegram, and Discord. It is a tangible manifestation of Bittensor’s Prompting Network (netuid 1), designed to engage with users by replying to tagged tweets and messages.
Expansion of Bounty Platform
Neural Internet also recently released an innovative Bounty Platform, for project owners (Listers) and skilled developers (Hunters) to collaborate on building applications, with $TAO as the method of payment. This is a unique approach to providing ulterior utility for Bittensor’s native token.
What simply started as requests in the #bounty-listings channel of Neural Internet’s discord server, is now being turned into a seamless app.
In essence, developers across the world can get familiarized with Bittensor, as a result of getting rewarded in $TAO for completing bounties. This effort, strengthens Neural Internet’s position as a top Bittensor Validator.
One-Click Delegation
On August 21, 2023, Neural Internet released a One-Click Delegation website; people can connect their Polkadot.JS wallet, pick from the list of verified Validators, and start earning $TAO dividends today. You can stake and unstake your $TAO anytime!
Future Releases by Neural Internet
Follow Neural Internet on X and LinkedIn and stay tuned for more innovative products/services releasing in the near-future!
The Open Source AI Community
A vibrant, dynamic, and diverse ecosystem that thrives on collaboration and shared knowledge.
At the heart of the open-source AI community are the Developers. They contribute their time, skills, and knowledge to develop and improve open-source AI software by writing code, fixing bugs, creating new features, and helping others understand and use the software.
Next are the Researchers. They use open-source AI software to conduct research, develop new algorithms, and push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI. Research like-so, often leads to new features and improvements in the software, which ultimately benefits the community. Open Source AI Researchers also tend to write papers and articles about their work, helping to spread knowledge and inspire others.
Then there are the Organizations. These include universities, research institutes (OpenTensor Foundation), and companies (Neural Internet) that support open-source AI by funding projects, hosting events, and providing resources. They also often employ Developers and Researchers, enabling them to spend more time contributing to open-source AI.
Finally, there are the Users. They use open-source AI software for their own projects, whether it’s to build a machine learning model, analyze data, or create an AI-powered app. Feedback and suggestions help to improve the software and guide its development.
As shown at the beginning of this section, Neural Internet’s Chatbot UI Alpha is fully open-sourced and encouraged to be built upon.
Centralized AI vs. Decentralized AI
Centralized AI/ML models are typically developed and hosted on a single server or a cluster of servers owned by one entity, e.g. OpenAI. This entity has complete control over the data used to train the models, the algorithms used, and the outputs generated.
While this approach has its advantages, such as ease of management and control over data, it also has significant drawbacks. Centralized systems can be vulnerable to attacks, data breaches, and system failures. They also raise concerns about data privacy and monopolistic control over AI/ML.
Decentralized AI/ML models, e.g. Bittensor, on the other hand, distribute computational tasks across a network of nodes, owned by different entities.
This enhances the robustness of the system. If one node fails, the network can continue to function. This redundancy makes decentralized networks more reliable and resilient than their centralized counterparts.
Decentralized AI/ML models, also enhance data privacy. Instead of all data being stored in one place, it is distributed across the network. Each node only has access to a subset of the data, reducing the risk of data breaches.
Most importantly, decentralized AI/ML models, foster diversity and innovation. Each node in the network can develop and train its own models, which can lead to more innovative & effective solutions.
Conclusion
In the world of Bittensor Validators, Neural Internet is proving to be a leading contributor. By offering a range of services and tools, Neural Internet is not only promoting the decentralization of AI and ML but also fostering a thriving community of developers and project owners. As we continue to explore the potential of decentralized AI, Neural Internet’s contributions to the Bittensor network will undoubtedly remain pivotal.
If you own/hold $TAO, you can delegate stake to Neural Internet’s verified Bittensor Validator and earn 24% APR here!
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not financial advice. Conduct your own research and consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions or taking any action based on the content.
