AI & Humanity's Renaissance Moment l KBW2024

[Music] thank you for having us hey guys hey everyone how's it going um that was an awesome discussion about meme coins uh definitely an exciting topic and now we're going to transition to another exciting topic both personally and I think for all of you who are excited about technology and where the future is going uh today we're going to be talking about the intersection of AI and blockchain and we have our resident expert JD here um so JD can you start us off just tell us about yourself tell us how you got into Ai and blockchain yeah so founder CEO of rain maker our company's focused on developing a protocol and a platform at that uh Confluence of AI and web 3 I got into the space actually in 2017 originally focused on how could we better understand the value that each individual human represents in the digital world so looking at each of us in our relationships and those peer-to-peer interactions which blockchain I believe at its core is uh has disrupted how could we better understand and quantify the value of each human in the digital world so in 2018 we founded rain maker we first were focused a lot in the social media space um and about three years ago we saw that there was this Confluence happening between Ai and web 3 so we started building The Rainmaker Network protocol focused on not just the value of each individual human but what is the value that each of us contributes to training AI so how do we quantify the value of each human's contribution to training AI models dynamically uh and that's essentially what we've been focused on rain maker for the last three years amazing so you talked a little about bit about the AI element can you tell us more about how you see Ai and blockchain converging so what's interesting is I feel like there's this organic Synergy when you look at what do blockchain actually good at inherently that uh it can provide an organic real value to AI systems talk about Global frictionless Payments uh when you talk about AI agents we talk about the ability to have transparent immutable proof of data so obviously the value of AI models is directly correlated with the value of data that they're trained with and so when we look at the future and we extrapolate uh going forward that we see all these different AI models that are going to be powered uh by the data that they're being trained with with how do we ensure that the value of those models and that data that's going in is accurate so an example would be right now our data is being fed in to train a lot of these most powerful llms that are being run by open AI or you know fill in the blank these large you know tech companies we don't get anything back from that uh there's also no transparency and also there's I think even a bigger picture problem they're looking at which is what happens when those models start to degrade so I think one of the things that we're we've been experien experimenting with and Building Technology to to solve problems around is how do you actually ensure that there's that Integrity of data that's being fed into train each AI model number one because honestly again the value of the model is directly correlated to the value of the data that's being trained with so that's our number one Focus number two is what is the contribution or the value of each contribution from an individual human so I think as we extrapolate out to the future we can see a world where millions of humans beings or billions of human beings across the planet and our billions of interactions or data points are being fed into to train these AI models how do we dynamically quantify the value of each of us you know across you know we look at these digital ecosystems so The Rainmaker Network protocol it's a Federated hybrid blockchain it's not an evm Network we purposely built something that's highly modular so that it can in a customized way be able to track at scale billions of interactions across the planet billions of human data points that are flowing into train these AI models so I think as we look at that Confluence of AI in web 3 if we look at what what does blockchain contribute to AI That's Unique it's that immutability it's the transparency it's about having a network that at scale can dynamically say this is the value of Nick's contribution this is the value of JD's contribution this is the value of millions of people's contributions to train the AI models that are powering uh our economy in the future absolutely and you know you touched on it a little bit but I want to shift Focus over to exactly what you guys are building at rain maker um can you tell me a little bit more you know with with AI there's always value questions and so I want to know a little bit more about um rain Maker's values and vision kind of for how all this fits together specifically what what makes you guys unique well I I you look at the title of the talk today Ai and Humanities R moment I mean to me like we are at a critical juncture as a species we have a finite amount of time to turn the corner and make an evolutionary leap and I believe that the combination of AI and web fre technology really has the potential to empower each individual human in a way that we haven't seen in human history and so for us a rain maker our Focus has been how can we contribute in some small way to build systems to build infrastructure to build products that can empower the individual human that can increase human agency through Ai and web 3 so on the application uh we built the rain maker AI app which is on iOS Google Play The salana Saga phone uh we're going to be announcing some other big uh smartphones uh Partnerships but that that system the application layer of our of our Network or our ecosystem enables any human on the planet with a smartphone and internet connection to contribute to training AI models so what we've started to build out there is the first proof of concept of how do we dynamically look at each of these humans and their contributions as they're labeling data as they're providing confirmation uh as they're engaging in like four or five different types of model training from a smartphone device which is running on our protocol and then our protocol is actually tracking a mutable proof of their contributions to training each of these AI models and then fractional distribution of value is being distributed to them on the network itself in the form of our token or other cryptocurrencies so when you take a step back again big picture you know and I sure a lot of people in this room are familiar with the you know what I'm about to say but what is unique about blockchain what it what does it solve at some fundamental level that's brings new value what is web3 what is the next version of the Internet it's transforming the way that value is created and the Val the way that value is distributed taking that informal value of our relationships of our data and formalizing it in a way that ideally is more democratic that more equitably distributes value back to the individual user so I think all of the products that we're developing from the protocol itself which is running in mainnet to the application which has 100,000 plus users across the planet that are training AI models directly from their smartphone device and that's in Africa southeast Asia Turkey Europe the US Canada literally all over the world 100,000 plus users today on our protocol are uh training AI models and so for us it's like to really actually be doing it I think the the last panel was talking about meme coins you know which it's a fun I definitely think there's something about fun but to me that if we want to build real products that bring real value to the world we have to start to marry these elements these ingredients together we talk about AI we talk about web3 we talk about digital assets we need to do it in a manner where it's just as easy to build with as it is to use Instagram or to use Facebook so all the products we've developed are so simple and easy to use that your grandma could do it all right well you know we'll have to try it out on my grandma when uh when it's already baked um so you talked a little bit about traction um let's talk about some of the Milestones that you've already achieved you you talked about the user base um and then let's also talk about what's coming um you know anything exciting on the road map uh you know Partnerships anything that you you want to talk about there yeah so we launched mayet of the protocol late June uh we're at 240,000 plus connected Wallets on the network 170,000 plus unique wallet holders um so that's just at the protocol level so that's folks that are running deepend validator nodes they're staking tokens they're burning they're providing that uh core infrastructure support uh to the Rain Maker Network and then on the application layer we have 100,000 plus downloads of the app on both iOS Google play the salana uh smartphone I think there's a few others uh that were few other uh dap stores that we in as well um and so we've had an amazing year in terms of traction and growth uh we're moving actually towards our our tge here shortly which has been for me six years in the making I started in 2018 uh building and building and building and you know Finding you know pivoting like every founder does a thousand times and we eventually found the right path and an alignment I think a big Focus right now just kind of Shifting Gears to where we're going and what we're most excited about in terms of features a big Focus right now is around AI reputation how do we understand again the quantifiable value of the models that are being trained with real quality data from real quality humans and so for us it's like we have the protocol itself self which is providing the infrastructure it's doing that fractional quantifiable tracking globally but then we have the actual application where users are actually on their smartphone devices participating so I think we we're in a unique position that we not only have the network itself we also have you know over 100,000 end users data labelers human contributors uh to our AI ecosystem so we're able to start to play with this idea or this notion of AI reputation um we're actually also integrating with other desc cized AI protocols and networks right now so again focused on how do we begin to look outside of our Network and look at um you know whether it's Aether or look at uh bit tensor or look at Morpheus or look at these other decentralized AI networks and understand okay there's a value that users on those networks are contributing on chain let's bring that data in so that we can uh you know essentially kind of unite the tribes of decentralized AI so to speak so that's the main focus right now in the next I would say like four to six months it's two things one again is AI reputation you know leveling up the way that we're bringing that forth in term in terms of an end product that users are actually using both on the desktop and mobile devices and then again looking at uh our systems to be able to enable real value Creation in terms of models being trained by actual humans with a connected smartphone device on a blockchain network which is already happening today with raain maker amazing yeah I think you know a lot of the rhetoric around AI can can sometimes be negative and and scary and and I think a lot of people are like oh what if this takes over the world right and so it's it's nice to hear kind of the the companies and and and the builders that are using this for for positive change really doing so responsibly and I think that kind of gets me to my next question which is you know at rain maker what what's the contribution to the world here what what are you trying to achieve from you know more of a meta perspective I mean at the end of the day all that really matters I think for each of us is finding that Divine Purpose inside of ourselves I believe that every one of us I think every single one of you guys in the audience and every single human being on the planet has a Divine Purpose inside of us and I believe that what actually got me most excited about crypto when I came in in 2017 was this Vision where I could see a world where humans across the planet were actually empowered to find to find their Divine Purpose and to bring it forth into the world so we look at a combination of you know AI Systems and web3 Technology and Rain Maker as a company you know our focus is helping to power that evolutionary leap for Humanity amazing so is is there anything that that you would want to leave us with in terms of you know thoughts kind of going forward whether it be about the crypto space or about what you guys are building with rain maker you know you've been you're someone who's been in the space in a long time seen a lot of Cycles seeing kind of where things are going I i' I'd love to just hear your thoughts on you know anything where you know the transition of AI and and where all this is going well yeah I think for just taking a step back and looking at the industry itself um I think we're at a unique moment we're at like I think a Tipping Point where there's a real potential for the mass adoption that we've all talked about and dreamt about but I guess to from my point of view like our responsibility still is everybody's making or a lot of people in this industry are making a lot of money which is nothing wrong with that it's a good thing but the question is will we come back to the values that many of us started with we came into this space not just to make a lot of money but to make a massive impact in the world so for for me a friend of mine actually came up with this idea of the billionaire in a new world which is this idea that a new billionaire is a person who positively impacts the lives of a billion people we you know everyone who's in this room is is way on The Cutting Edge of all these Technologies and every single one of us has the potential to actually go out and to impact large numbers of humans in in a positive way the Ripple effects the butterfly effect of each one of us and our contributions it can't be understated uh it's not about me or my company or just you Nick or any one of us it's about our Collective actions as a community as an industry and so I think there's a responsibility we have in this moment to understand okay there's billions of dollars flowing into this space now you have black rock you have you know basically a validation of crypto that like we've never seen before so the question is with all this new money with all this new energy that's flowing into the industry what are we going to do with it what are we going to do with with that energy with the the ability to create anything are we going to you know just all get rich and throw a bunch of parties which is sometimes what certain people in crypto bend that way and again there's nothing wrong with that I'm not here to pass judgment I'm here to just say for me personally my focus and commitment and passion is really to help transform the world and I think there's many people like me in the industry that that is the core values uh that we all came in with at the beginning of this so I think as an industry we're in a moment where you know I think we have to take a step back and remember uh remember the core reason of why we came in and the opportunity that exists because this is kind of that last moment once the black rocks of the world come in things change once you have billions of dollars coming in it it changes the reality of the situation already the industry is getting much larger than it was before which is a beauty it's a beautiful thing on one side but the double-edged sword is all of a sudden it's really easy to forget why we why we start started this whole thing in the beginning and so and not that I'm one of the ogs I mean I remember uh my first chance to buy Bitcoin was in 2012 Brock Pierce tried to sell me uh it was like a th000 Bitcoin for $10,000 and I said no because I didn't understand it in 2012 it was really early but TW fast forward 2017 I came into space and and I saw the opportunity for this to be a fundamental layer to power what I call the solution Revolution so this idea that humans across the world in a decentralized way could use this technology to actually solve some of the greatest Global issues of our time and I still to this day now I really see that more than ever when you look at now what's possible with AI and web 3 and the combination of these Technologies and the and what we're seeing in terms of real like a lot of what has been happening for six years is everyone's been investing money and teams have been building out software I've been experimenting at The Cutting Edge we're really starting to see that take hold where a lot of the stuff we were talking about 5 six years ago is now actually really possible now the systems are becoming more mature now they're becoming more user friendly now we have the ability to onboard millions and billions of people into crypto into blockchain and into decentralized AI so again with that power what are we going to do with it for us and for me personally my focus is on empowering the individual human how do we increase human agency through Ai and web 3 because at the core of that question again that original question I said to we started this out with what what is the value of each human each human's contribution to trading AI how do we understand that because if we can understand that and we can build systems that actually distribute that in a democratic way can we imagine the level of empowerment of humanity that we're going to see come forward now when we look at layering on top of it Global frictionless uh crypto rails that can distribute money at scale without any intermediary without any government without anything getting in the way now we have a decentralized system that can truly Empower Humanity in a way that we've never seen before all the ingredients are there so the question is what are we going to do with it what are we going to do indeed well I am glad that we were able to have this chat you know I think the the future of AI and blockchain is in good hands um and so thank you so much and yeah really appreciate it one other thing too we got to you guys got to know about Nick he's actually got an exciting uh gaming company and we've been working on some stuff together um in terms of the road map stuff that rain makers got we working with the NFL and professionals sports teams one of the products we've been developing that we're rolling out this fall is again looking at fans looking at engagement looking at data and then tying that into everything we're doing with decentralized AI and Nick in his Studio you guys have been a big part of of what we've been doing there and we're excited for for all the things we're going to be doing together so thank you again for everything yeah well I appreciate it I think the the special part of this space you get to work with smart people with good people and you know as long as we can keep doing that I think this space will keep moving forward yeah thanks guys [Music]