An innovative blockchain, infused with artificial intelligence and backed by Andreessen Horowitz, is being described by co-founder Travis Good as a potential “successor to Bitcoin.”
This bold assertion stems from Good’s belief that Bitcoin’s encryption techniques are becoming “increasingly outdated” and could be rendered “entirely obsolete within five years,” posing a significant challenge for the miners supporting it.
“We’ve got individuals who have poured billions into hash power to secure a network using ASICs,” he shared during this year’s ethDenver conference. “So the pressing question is, where will they transition to?”
Good’s solution is Ambient, a blockchain designed with robust AI functionalities – what he refers to as the “future economy” – that may evolve into a “decentralized rival to OpenAI.” He explained that the network employs a proof-of-work model appealing to Bitcoin miners, simplifying the transition.
“It’s a functional proof of work network, which we believe hasn’t been effectively executed in the crypto space before,” noted Good.
Various crypto initiatives have endeavored to merge these two trending technologies, under the conviction that decentralized crowdsourcing and blockchains can better guide AI to benefit humanity than single, private entities could.
One of the most prominent and financially robust is Bittensor. However, Good argues that the market leader falls short as it does not operate AI models directly on the blockchain, despite its intended goal of “serving as a global computer.” His proposed alternative, Ambient, integrates AI at its core.
The acceptance of a completely new network by Bitcoin miners—and users—likely depends on Ambient’s success in the marketplace. Good envisions Ambient delivering highly intelligent AI solutions quickly, affordably, and transparently, ensuring users receive the answers they have invested in.
Although Ambient shares a security model with Bitcoin, its operational structure mirrors that of Solana.
The project secured $7.2 million in seed funding from a16z’s crypto accelerator, as well as backing from Delphi Digital, which is keenly interested in the intersection of crypto and AI technologies.
“Currently, everyone in the crypto space is utilizing centralized AI to drive their applications and user interfaces,” remarked Alex Golding, a venture associate at Delphi. He considers this a significant drawback as it leaves users unaware of the data origins of the models and susceptible to being misled by subpar outputs.
“Verified inference” by miners—central to their rewards structure—serves as a source verification tool, ensuring that responses generated by Ambient come from the models users opted to engage with.
“Without verified inference, you risk being misled,” Good asserted, adding a dramatic cautionary note: “Nation-state actors could corrupt your model, as evidenced by incidents like those involving Lazarus,” the North Korean hackers.