Sentient is an AI research initiative focused on building an Open AGI Economy that empowers developers and creators in the AI space. It designs platforms and protocols that allow open-source AI innovators to monetize their work, collaborate on advanced AI systems, and actively participate as stakeholders in a decentralized AI ecosystem. By challenging the constraints of closed-source models, Sentient champions a more open and incentivized approach to AI development through blockchain technology and community-driven mechanisms.

More than just offering development tools, Sentient envisions a collaborative intelligence framework—what it refers to as a “collective agentic intelligence offering”—that supports AI users and builders alike. This vision underscores its broader mission to cultivate an open and accessible path toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). By prioritizing open-source frameworks and decentralized collaboration, Sentient aligns with the global movement toward transparent, inclusive, and ethically grounded AI innovation.

About the Project

Vision -  The mission is to ensure that the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) serves humanity as a whole, rather than being controlled by corporate interests. Central to this vision is the belief that AI should be open, transparent, and aligned with the communities it impacts. This philosophy is embodied in the concept of Loyal AI—intelligence that is developed by communities, for communities.

Problem 

Proprietary AI models, such as those behind ChatGPT and Claude, are typically accessible only through APIs maintained and controlled by their respective corporations. These models function as closed systems, with neither the source code nor the model weights made available to the public. As a result, users cannot inspect, audit, or independently verify how these systems operate, leading to a lack of transparency and accountability. This black-box nature significantly limits experimentation and innovation. Developers and researchers cannot modify or build upon these models to explore new use cases or improve performance. Instead, they are constrained by the functionality and access permissions granted by the provider.

Moreover, because these models must be accessed through remote servers, users are compelled to trust third parties with potentially sensitive or personal information. This raises valid concerns about data privacy, surveillance, and unauthorized data usage. The centralized control over these models also introduces the risk of censorship, as providers retain the ability to filter or restrict outputs based on internal policies or external pressures. 

Solution 

By leveraging blockchain technology, Sentient AGI redistributes the power and control of AI development across a diverse network of participants. This decentralized approach stands in stark contrast to traditional AI systems, which are typically dominated by large corporations. In a decentralized environment, no single entity holds unilateral authority over the system, promoting greater fairness, resilience, and community-driven innovation.

Sentient AGI is designed to be openly accessible, inviting individuals from around the world to contribute to and benefit from its AI ecosystem. Whether through developing models, sharing data, or supporting infrastructure, contributors play an active role in shaping the system. In return, they are empowered to monetize their contributions, earning rewards that recognize the value they bring to the network. The platform also emphasizes long-term engagement by offering incentive structures that encourage sustained participation and loyalty. At its core, Sentient AGI is built on transparency—all activities, from contributions to financial transactions, are immutably recorded on the blockchain. This ensures a high level of trust and accountability, laying the foundation for a collaborative, equitable, and community-aligned AI future.

Market Analysis

Increasing interest reflected in Google search trends and the rising value of AI-related tokens. This surge in AI adoption has also driven substantial investments in AI-powered Web3 projects, attracting considerable funding. The intersection of AI and cryptocurrency has reached new heights, particularly with the emergence of AI agents. The shift from AI 1.0 to AI 2.0 holds profound implications for the crypto industry, fostering greater collaboration between these two sectors. This cross-pollination is generating significant momentum, potentially leading to the next major innovation in AI-driven cryptocurrency. While industry giants like Perplexity and ChatGPT remain closed systems, Sentient aims to create an open environment where anyone can own, develop, and monetize AI models. This initiative represents the first AGI project within the crypto space. Just as the traditional world has experienced rapid growth and widespread adoption, cryptocurrency is poised for similar success.

Several players have begun to emerge in the open AI crypto space, each working to innovate and democratize the development of AI technologies. 

Nous Research-  stands at the forefront of creating human-centric language models and simulators. The organization's core focus includes advancements in model architecture, data synthesis, fine-tuning, and reasoning, all designed to ensure AI systems are closely aligned with real-world user experiences. Nous Research is committed to developing open-source, human-compatible models, challenging the traditional closed systems approach. Their mission revolves around creating an open infrastructure to democratize and decentralize the development of superintelligence, with the aim of benefiting humanity as a whole.

Venice AI-  is another key player in the open AI field. The platform leverages leading open-source AI models to enable text, code, and image generation directly through web browsers or mobile apps. Venice operates on a permissionless basis, allowing anyone, from anywhere, to access open-source machine intelligence without restrictions. One of its standout features is its commitment to privacy—Venice does not track or record user conversations, and it doesn't share any user data, including emails or IP addresses, with external parties such as corporations or governments. This commitment to user privacy is deeply embedded in the platform’s infrastructure and ethos. While technical users have been utilizing open-source tools like HuggingFace for generative AI, Venice aims to simplify the process, making it accessible to a broader audience who may find such tools overwhelming.

Products: 

Sentient Chat

Sentient has unveiled Sentient Chat, a user-friendly agent-based chatbot designed to compete with platforms like Perplexity AI. This new offering features 15 AI agents integrated directly into the platform—a pioneering development in the industry—and has reportedly attracted over 1 million early access sign-ups within just 24 hours.In its latest research, Sentient has highlighted the growing potential of the crypto ecosystem, especially with its breakthrough in Open Deep Search (ODS), which surpasses both Perplexity and ChatGPT in AI-powered search capabilities. ODS is a versatile plug-and-play framework that can be integrated with any large language model (LLM) to deliver superior search performance. It consists of two core components: the Open Search Tool and the Open Reasoning Agent. Sentient Chat distinguishes itself from current state-of-the-art platforms by offering native access to a growing number of AI agents, with 20 already available and more expected in the near future.

Dobby LLMs 

Dobby, the world’s first community-owned AI model, is developed by Sentient and has already attracted over 660,000 users through a groundbreaking ownership mint. Holders of Dobby NFTs, which are linked to Sentient's Loyal AI model, gain priority early access to Sentient Chat. Dobby 70B enhances various applications, including customer service, interactive assistants, creative projects, digital tutoring, conversational chatbots, and gaming agents. Its personality, along with a pro-freedom and pro-crypto mindset, infuses every interaction with a unique character. Dobby is meticulously fingerprinted using advanced techniques pioneered by Sentient's elite AI team, ensuring top-tier model traceability. The latest iteration, Dobby 70B, is an upgraded version of the previous Dobby-mini Unhinged, retaining the same engaging, human-like tone but now delivering significantly improved performance. 

Investors

Team

The company was co-founded by Sandeep Nailwal, the visionary behind Polygon, and Himanshu Tyagi, a distinguished professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Sandeep Nailwal is a highly successful entrepreneur in the cryptocurrency space, best known for creating Polygon, one of the first Layer-2 solutions in the crypto industry. His expertise and contributions have played a significant role in shaping the scalability and efficiency of blockchain technology, making Polygon a widely recognized name in the space. Himanshu Tyagi, on the other hand, brings his academic and research-oriented perspective to the team, leveraging his experience as a professor at one of India’s most prestigious institutions.

Conclusion 

Sentient is leading the way in a new era of artificial intelligence by empowering communities to create Loyal AI—an approach that is community-built, community-aligned, and community-owned. The current landscape of AI development is largely dominated by a small group of organizations and individuals competing to create Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), making decisions that impact all of humanity without involving collective input. This centralized control often serves corporate interests, producing closed-source models that influence critical sectors such as global governance, healthcare, and journalism, often lacking transparency and accountability. Sentient is addressing this significant issue by promoting a decentralized model that seeks to involve broader participation in the AI development process.

Despite still being in the waitlist phase, Sentient has already seen considerable adoption and has attracted strong backing from reputable investors. Given the project’s innovative approach and its potential to reshape the AI landscape, it is certainly worth noting as a significant development in the space.

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