GaiaNet, which raised $10 million in funding: Challenging centralized giants and ushering in a new era of decentralized AI
The test network and software development kit (SDK) of GaiaNet are scheduled to be launched in early Q3 2024, with product alpha testing having started in Q2 2024.Original Title: GaiaNet Secures $10M to Build a Decentralized Network for Open Source LLM and AI Agent, Challenging Centralized AI Giants
Original Author: CoinDesk
Translation: Elvin, ChainCatcher
GaiaNet is poised to revolutionize data access, usage, and security, boldly challenging the centralized industry giants that dominate the AI lifecycle.
GaiaNet, a groundbreaking new AI infrastructure project aimed at decentralizing current AI agent software, has announced that it has raised $10 million in seed funding, with key strategic advisors including Lex Sokolin from Generative Ventures, Brian Johnson from Republic Capital, Shawn Ng from 7RIDGE, Kishore Bhatia, EVM Capital, Mantle EcoFund, and ByteTrade Lab.
GaiaNet is a distributed AI infrastructure designed to decentralize current AI agent software, paving the way for a new era of decentralized AI interactions and applications. GaiaNet will not set up centralized servers but will host AI models based on its proprietary domain knowledge and expertise, utilizing a distributed network of edge nodes controlled by individuals and businesses. In this model, each GaiaNet node acts as an AI twin (agent) of a real-world expert or persona—such as a university teaching assistant, cryptocurrency trader, or customer service agent—performing expertise tasks on behalf of its creator or operator.
At this stage, the project addresses prominent issues across various industries, including higher education, particularly tackling the shortage of teaching assistants in high-enrollment courses like introductory computer science and engineering. GaiaNet allows for the creation of personalized AI chatbots that excel at responding to and meeting queries from students with diverse backgrounds and expertise within its distributed and decentralized network.
"Our mission with GaiaNet is to redefine the way humans interact with AI and provide sovereign infrastructure for interacting with AI," said Matt Wright, CEO of GaiaNet. "With the recent investment, we can further commit to redefining the boundaries of AI, making it more accessible, resistant to data bias, collaborative, and privacy-centric."
GaiaNet has established its first major partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, to innovate the industry with advanced AI solutions, a collaboration announced earlier this year. This initiative is driven by a strategic partnership between GaiaNet and UC Berkeley's FHL Vive Center, aiming to introduce decentralized AI teaching assistant technology into more computer science and STEM courses by leveraging AI inference capabilities under the distributed Gaia network. This partnership, which transcends technological advancements, aims to enhance educational accessibility and serve as a pioneer for the application of decentralized AI across various fields. Additionally, it aims to create a distributed network of GenAI agents that are not controlled by centralized individuals or entities. By integrating GaiaNet into higher education curricula, it practically demonstrates how decentralized AI can innovate beyond traditional boundaries, marking a significant step towards making high-quality education more accessible and efficient.
In addition to building the network infrastructure, the funding will also support the development of new AI training models for developers and private data holders. It will also help increase the number of network nodes, which, once combined, have the potential to rival the AI capabilities of ChatGPT 3.5 and above.
"While most AI agents and applications on the market are dominated by centralized servers with limited data, GaiaNet's distributed network opens up limitless possibilities for users and developers to collaborate with AI agents," said Lucas Lu, CEO of ByteTrade Lab. "Investing in GaiaNet further demonstrates ByteTrade's commitment to continuing innovation and building a user-centric decentralized internet network."
The emergence of GaiaNet comes at a time of growing demand for decentralized alternatives to the centralized large language models (LLMs) controlled by tech giants like Microsoft and Google. While many projects focus on decentralized computing and data capabilities, GaiaNet uniquely focuses on decentralizing central AI inference servers, such as ChatGPT, and boldly challenges the centralized industry giants that dominate the AI lifecycle, from data collection to model training and fine-tuning.
GaiaNet's testnet and software development kit (SDK) are scheduled to launch in early Q3 2024, with product alpha testing having begun in Q2 2024. Those interested in being among the first to test GaiaNet's capabilities should visit www.gaianet.ai and follow @GaiaNet_AI for more information.
