In this thought-provoking discussion with Can Gurel (Delphi), the NEAR co-founders share insights on Illia's work co-authoring the groundbreaking "Attention is All You Need" paper that introduced transformers, their vision for user-owned AI and democratizing access to AI capabilities and more.

Key insights include:

- How NEAR's original focus on AI developer tools led them to discover the need for better payment infrastructure for distributed workforces

- Their framework for user-owned AI that optimizes for individual success rather than platform profits

- Technical challenges and solutions for distributed AI training and inference

- The importance of private computing for enabling user-controlled AI systems

The conversation provides valuable perspective on the intersection of AI and crypto from pioneers who have worked at the cutting edge of both fields, offering insights into how decentralized technologies could enable more democratic and user-centric AI development.

"The reality is we kind of have like a little bit of a model that some data we don't want to share... Your assistant will be able to help you with filing your taxes and finding ways to file receipts for expenses, and it will need to have access to all of this. What you don't want is all of this data end up leaking or showing up in somebody else's chat." — Illia Polosukhin, NEAR Protocol

Watch more sessions from Crypto x AI Month here: https://delphidigital.io/crypto-ai

---

Crypto x AI Month is the largest virtual event dedicated to the intersection of crypto and AI, featuring 40+ top builders, investors, and practitioners. Over the course of three weeks, this event brings together panels, debates, and discussions with the brightest minds in the space, presented by Delphi Digital.

Crypto x AI Month is free and open to everyone thanks to the support from our sponsors:

https://olas.network/

https://venice.ai/

https://near.org/

https://mira.foundation/

https://www.theoriq.ai/

---

Follow the Speakers:

- Can Gurel on Twitter/X ► https://x.com/cannngurel

- Illia Polosukhin on Twitter/X ► https://x.com/ilblackdragon

- Alex Skidanov on Twitter/X ► https://x.com/alexskidanov

---

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Acknowledgments

00:48 Introduction of Illia and Alex from NEAR

03:11 Origins of the Transformers Paper

08:07 Discussion on LLMs and Model Understanding

11:05 Alpha Go and Self-Improvement in AI

15:16 NEAR's Evolution from AI to Blockchain

19:37 The Story Behind NEAR's Foundation

26:32 Vision for User-Owned AI

30:31 Analysis of the Crypto-AI Stack

35:28 Data Labeling and Trust Systems

39:33 Private Inference and Edge Computing

44:17 User Privacy and Trust in AI

47:44 Edge Computing Challenges

49:54 Novel Data Sources and Synthetic Data

52:40 AI Agent Security and DeFi Applications

58:43 Formal Verification in AI Systems

1:03:14 Distributed Training Challenges

1:11:04 AI Talent and Crypto Industry

1:13:44 Rating Future Technologies and Closing Thoughts

Disclaimer

All statements and/or opinions expressed in this interview are the personal opinions and responsibility of the respective guests, who may personally hold material positions in companies or assets mentioned or discussed. The content does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Delphi Citadel Partners, LLC or its affiliates (collectively, “Delphi Ventures”), which makes no representations or warranties of any kind in connection with the contained subject matter. Delphi Ventures may hold investments in assets or protocols mentioned or discussed in this interview. This content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be misconstrued for investment advice or as a recommendation to purchase or sell any token or to use any protocol.

Revisiting The Fundamentals of Crypto x AI with NEAR | Crypto x AI Event

The Delphi Podcast

Revisiting The Fundamentals of Crypto x AI with NEAR | Crypto x AI Event