According to PANews, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has endorsed a new image compression method, Token for Image Tokenizer (TiTok), for its application on the blockchain. The new TiTok compression method significantly reduces image size, making it more suitable for storage on the blockchain. Buterin highlighted TiTok's blockchain potential on the decentralized social media platform Farcaster, stating that '320 bits is basically a hash value. Small enough to allow every user to chain.' This development could have a significant impact on the storage of digital images for personal profile pictures (PFP) and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).
TiTok was developed by researchers from ByteDance and the Technical University of Munich. It can compress images into 32 small data blocks (bits) without losing quality. According to the TiTok research paper, advanced artificial intelligence (AI) image compression allows TiTok to compress a 256x256 pixel image into '32 discrete tokens.' TiTok is a one-dimensional (1D) image token framework that 'breaks the grid restrictions present in two-dimensional token methods,' resulting in more flexible, compact images. TiTok uses machine learning and advanced AI to convert images into tokenized representations using a transformer-based model. The method uses regional redundancy, meaning it identifies and uses redundant information in different areas of the image to reduce the overall data size of the final product.
The research paper states that TiTok's 'compact latent representation' can produce a 'more efficient, more effective representation than traditional techniques.' Despite the similar name, the social media platform TikTok has not received Buterin's endorsement. The Ethereum co-founder emphasized TiTok's blockchain potential, adding credibility to the new AI-driven image compression method.