Introduction

The Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI) is a collective of companies producing blockchain-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions, consisting of Fetch.ai (FET), SingularityNET (AGIX), and Ocean Protocol (OCEAN).

All these companies recently merged (July 1, 2024) their respective tokens under the ticker FET, which will soon become ASI.

This union aims to pool the technologies and resources unique to these three companies to develop a decentralized artificial superintelligence based on blockchain technology.

By leveraging the respective advanced technologies of these three companies, ASI aims to compete with and potentially surpass the centralized solutions of the GAFAM and OpenAI.

What is artificial superintelligence?

Artificial superintelligence is somewhat the Holy Grail of AI. An ASI refers to a form of Artificial Intelligence that would exceed human intellectual capabilities in all areas, including creativity, decision-making, problem-solving, and social skills.

This concept goes beyond current AI systems, which often excel in specific tasks but lack versatility and general understanding.

It is indeed important to note that no AI model at present is advanced enough to be designated as an ASI.

Although the model of artificial superintelligence is still in the development stage, speculation around its capabilities raises many ethical and philosophical questions.

Indeed, the use of such a powerful tool could be subject to abuses and severe consequences. The interest in involving blockchain in the development and deployment of an ASI is therefore multiple.

Why use blockchain to develop and deploy an ASI?

Before reviewing the multiple benefits of relying on blockchain technology to develop and deploy an ASI, it is important to understand the risks and potential abuses associated with the emergence of such technology.

Indeed, assuming that an ASI would far exceed human capabilities in almost every area, numerous risks—whether imagined or real—arise.

These risks, ranging from simple technical failures to the total loss of control over this tool, could be irreversible for humanity.

Let’s take an extreme example to illustrate my point: an ASI seeking to solve climate change might decide that reducing the human population is an effective solution.

Yes, I agree, this example is certainly extreme and is pure speculation. However, many abuses could arise from such a powerful tool.

This is where another equally revolutionary technology comes into play: blockchain.

The use of blockchain in the development of an ASI could offer several concrete advantages. First, it would secure data by making it immutable, thereby reducing the risk of manipulation or cyberattacks on critical information used by the ASI.

The traceability of decisions and operations also makes the functioning of the ASI more transparent, facilitating audits and allowing verification that the actions taken comply with expectations and ethical standards.

Furthermore, decentralized governance, through smart contracts or DAOs, enables multiple stakeholders to have a say in the evolution of the ASI, preventing any single entity (state/company) from having too much control.

In addition, blockchain could help manage the enormous computing resources needed to run an ASI by distributing the load in a decentralized manner.

It would also give users better control over their personal data while automating payments and transactions through smart contracts.

Finally, blockchain would enhance public trust by enabling rigorous tracking of the ASI's decisions and ensuring that it adheres to clear ethical standards.

Now that we have addressed the risks associated with ASI and the benefits of its blockchain-based deployment, we will focus more on the ASI collective.

First, it is important to note that each entity that has joined the "alliance" will maintain its own operations and direction, even though the ultimate goal is the deployment and commercialization of an ASI.

Thus, we will explore Ocean Protocol and SingularityNET to deepen our exploration. I invite you to check the post on Fetch.ai that TheBat - Cryptoast Academy has produced for a comprehensive understanding of this union.

Ocean Protocol

Ocean Protocol is a decentralized blockchain-based platform designed to create a secure, private, and monetizable data-sharing ecosystem. It allows individuals and professionals to share, buy, and sell data while maintaining control over its privacy and ownership.

Indeed, data is a particularly valuable resource in our current economy. However, it is generally centralized by tech giants (GAFAM) who control access to data and derive significant profits from it.

These valuable data sets are highly sought after by various sectors, particularly in medical research, economic analysis, and, of course, to "train" artificial intelligences.

If you'd like to delve deeper into the topic and gain a clearer understanding of the economic stakes we're discussing, I invite you to listen to the insights of Trent McConaghy, the founder of Ocean Protocol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN_PHg1K61w

The video is a bit dated, but the issues remain just as relevant—if not more so—with the rise of ChatGPT, Gemini, and others.

Ocean Protocol's Functionality

At the core of the platform is a decentralized data marketplace.

In other words, entities can buy or sell data sets published by data providers in exchange for financial compensation.

Each data set is represented as an NFT, which protects the intellectual property of the data. The holder of this NFT can generate one or more permissions, represented by datatokens, to commercialize and thus monetize their data sharing.

In practice, the data itself is not stored on-chain; only the permissions linked to the NFTs are.

Ocean Protocol allows data providers to maintain sovereignty over their assets. Data providers can precisely define who can access the data and how it can be used.

To ensure the privacy and security of data providers, Ocean Protocol notably employs ZK proof technology (zero-knowledge proofs).

SingularityNET

SingularityNET is a decentralized platform for AI services built on blockchain, designed to enable different AIs to collaborate and monetize their capabilities through an open marketplace. SingularityNET focuses on creating an infrastructure that allows for the development, sharing, and coordination of AI services in a decentralized manner, while also promoting the evolution toward an artificial superintelligence (ASI).

Functioning of SingularityNET

AI Services Marketplace
SingularityNET allows AI developers and businesses to offer their AI services on a decentralized marketplace. Each service is tokenized and can be purchased or used via smart contracts. This enables AI service providers to monetize their algorithms and applications, while users can access a wide range of on-demand AI services.

For example, a company looking to use a natural language processing (NLP) model or a computer vision algorithm could purchase these services on the platform.

Interconnection of AIs
One of the core principles of SingularityNET is the interconnection of different AI agents on the platform. Rather than simply offering standalone AIs, the platform encourages collaboration between AIs.

For instance, a data analysis service might call upon another visualization service to present the results in a more comprehensible manner. These collaborations happen automatically and seamlessly through smart contracts.

OpenCog and General AI
SingularityNET is linked to the OpenCog project, an open-source AI framework, also founded by Ben Goertzel. OpenCog focuses on creating Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

AGI refers to an AI capable of performing a wide range of human cognitive tasks, unlike current AIs that specialize in specific tasks.

By integrating OpenCog into SingularityNET, the platform aims to create an ecosystem where specialized AIs interact and evolve towards an AGI, capable of solving complex problems beyond the capabilities of today’s AIs.

Incentives and Monetization
AI developers can create algorithms and models that are published on the platform and monetized through a pay-per-use system. This allows businesses, startups, or even researchers to earn money by sharing their AI expertise with other users on the platform.

Use Cases for SingularityNET

• AI for healthcare

• Automation and industry

• AI-generated content creation

• General AI research

Now that we have a better overview of the different players in the alliance, we can explore how the merger of these projects could benefit AI research advancements.

Although we have discussed SingularityNET and Ocean Protocol, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Each entity in the alliance deserves a dedicated post to fully explore their respective technologies and economies.

Alliance for Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)

Although very few resources are available on the future of ASI, a 40-page document outlining its "vision" is available on the official website. I have attempted to summarize everything that seemed important. If you would like to consult it, I’ll provide the link right here.

Strategic Challenges of the Merger

1. Centralization vs Decentralization of AI

One of the key challenges of this alliance is to counter the centralization of AI, which is currently dominated by big tech companies and military institutions. The centralization of AI is seen as a potential risk to global well-being due to the disproportionate control exercised by a few actors. The goal of this merger is to promote a decentralized AI, governed by an open alliance. This ensures the ethical and accessible development of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and ASI (Artificial Superintelligence) through shared governance.

2. Alignment of Incentives

The fusion of the tokens (AGIX, FET, OCEAN) into a single token, $ASI, is a significant step aimed at aligning the economic incentives of the three projects. This will accelerate research, development, and the deployment of AI solutions, while also scaling the resources available for these initiatives.

Long-Term Goals

1. Building Decentralized ASI: The three projects are focused on developing a decentralized ASI that could surpass human intelligence. They are exploring different approaches, such as large language models (LLMs), neuro-symbolic evolution, and global predictive models.

2. Deploying Practical Applications: Another goal is to showcase practical applications of decentralized AI, which will engage the public and businesses in immediate use. These applications will serve as a bridge for wider adoption of decentralized AI, creating a commercial ecosystem that benefits society.

3. Scaling Decentralized Computing Infrastructures: The development of ASI will require massive computing resources. The alliance intends to use $ASI-based incentives to encourage participation in decentralized computing networks, thereby increasing available computational power.

Technological Integration

1. Platform Integration: Each project contributes specific technology. Fetch.ai focuses on decentralized machine learning networks, Ocean Protocol provides decentralized and secure data management, and SingularityNET pioneers in decentralized AGI development. The merger will allow for greater interoperability between these technologies, creating a common technological foundation while maintaining the independence of each project.

2. Resource Optimization: The merger also enables resource pooling, optimizing both development and infrastructure efforts, while reducing computing costs through strategies like GPU use and cheaper energy sources.

Governance and Security

1. Decentralized Governance Model: A critical challenge is establishing a participatory governance model where $ASI token holders will have a say in major decisions. The governance will combine centralized mechanisms for coordination with decentralized community governance for decision-making, ensuring distributed control over the future development of ASI.

2. Decentralized Funding Systems: The project will include decentralized grant programs (such as SingularityNET’s Deep Funding program) to encourage ongoing development and innovation within the ecosystem.

Conclusion of the Merger Vision:

The main goal of this merger is to build a decentralized superintelligence (ASI) that benefits humanity. The three partners aim to ensure that this technology remains open, ethical, and decentralized, in contrast to AI controlled by large centralized entities. They hope to create a viable and powerful alternative in the race toward AGI and ASI.

While some resources and efforts will be pooled to advance the development and deployment of ASI, it is important to note that each entity within the alliance will retain its independence.

Tokenomics

The merger of AGIX, OCEAN, and FET tokens into the unified $ASI token is a strategic key aspect of the alliance. This migration began in July after initial delays. As of now, based on Dune data, approximately 40% of the AGIX supply and 23% of the OCEAN supply have been burned in preparation for minting $ASI.

• Burning 1 AGIX mints 0.433350 $ASI.

• Burning 1 OCEAN mints 0.433226 $ASI.

According to the official documentation from the ASI alliance, the total supply once AGIX and OCEAN tokens are merged is expected to be 2.63 billion $ASI tokens.

Originally, the total supply of FET was 1,152,997,575 tokens. However, this number has more than doubled to accommodate the AGIX and OCEAN tokens. As per Coingecko data, the current supply stands at 2,719,493,896 units.

Indeed, when examining the market capitalization of FET, a sudden increase was observed between May 3 and May 4, 2024.

The market capitalization of FET surged dramatically from $2 billion to $5.4 billion during this period.

Beyond the discrepancies in supply figures—where the announced supply differs significantly from the actual supply—this merger could be beneficial for the $ASI token. Each of the tokens from the aforementioned projects has real utility, extending beyond merely serving as governance tokens.

While a well-defined tokenomics model has yet to be established, we can speculate on several aspects. Given that each entity within the alliance maintains its independence, the products offered by the various protocols will likely require payments in $ASI tokens.

This means that the $ASI token will provide access to a multitude of services, which is a positive development for its value. Additionally, since the $ASI token will also facilitate governance across these three protocols, this further enhances its utility and overall value.

Conclusion

In summary, FET is currently well-positioned for an upward trend. However, strong monthly closes will be necessary to sustain this level of optimism.

The AI narrative is making a comeback with interesting performances. Notably, FET has underperformed significantly compared to its main competitor, TAO.

That said, since Bittensor's token has partially exhausted its medium-term bullish potential, a catch-up for FET is conceivable in the coming weeks.

The major challenge for the ASI project's token will be to successfully realign its weekly moving averages while forcing a reopening of the Bollinger Bands!