According to CoinDesk, Sentient, an open-source AI development platform, has secured an $85 million seed round investment. The funding round was co-led by Pantera Capital, Framework Ventures, and Founders Fund, a venture capital firm owned by Peter Thiel. Other high-profile investors included Robot Ventures, Delphi, Republic, and Arrington Capital.
Sentient's platform will be built on Polygon, marking an expansion of the Ethereum scaler into the realm of artificial intelligence (AI). Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, is one of the core contributors to Sentient. The project aims to address concerns about the concentration of AI's underlying code in the hands of a few tech giants, such as Google or Meta.
Open-source code, which is publicly shared and can be used by anyone, is a fundamental component of the blockchain technology that powers cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. 'By building an open platform for AGI development, we aim to ensure that the benefits of AI are distributed equitably and that its development aligns with the interests of humanity as a whole,' Nailwal stated in an announcement on Tuesday.
Sentient is set to enter the testnet phase this quarter. The funds from the seed round will be used to develop its platform and attract talent from AI research and blockchain engineering to its team.