Representatives of the company announced this during the opening of their conference Redacted in Bangkok, Thailand.
It is noted that the project will unite thousands of individuals who will collaboratively work on research and development through crowdsourcing (the transfer of specific production functions to an undefined circle of individuals based on a public offer, without entering into an employment contract). This will take place at the new hub Near AI Research: those interested can join the training of a small model with 500 million parameters starting from November 10.
As a reminder, Near is a blockchain platform for decentralized applications (dApps) that provides easier access to Web3 technologies, focusing on scalability, eco-friendliness, and low fees. The company has its own native token, NEAR.
Ambitious AI Model from Near Protocol
The project will gradually evolve through the creation of seven different models, where only the best participants will have the opportunity to progress to working on increasingly complex and larger systems. The models will be monetized, and participants' privacy is ensured through encryption.