GaiaNet, a pioneering AI infrastructure project, has announced a successful $10 million Series Seed funding round.
The project aims to decentralize current AI agent software, with strategic advisors including Generative Ventures’ Lex Sokolin, Republic Capital’s Brian Johnson, 7RIDGE’s Shawn Ng, Kishore Bhatia, EVM Capital, Mirana Ventures, Mantle EcoFund, and ByteTrade Lab.
GaiaNet is building a distributed AI infrastructure that decentralizes AI agent software, ushering in a new era of decentralized AI interaction and application. Instead of relying on centralized servers, GaiaNet utilizes a distributed network of edge nodes, controlled by individuals and businesses, to host AI models. Each GaiaNet node acts as an AI twin (agent) of a real-world expert, such as a university teaching assistant, crypto trader, or customer service agent, performing skilled tasks on behalf of its creator.
The project targets critical issues in various industries, notably higher education. GaiaNet addresses the shortage of teaching assistants in high-enrollment courses, such as entry-level computer science and engineering, by creating personalized AI chatbots. These chatbots are adept at responding to student queries, enhancing educational accessibility through its decentralized network.
“Our mission with GaiaNet is to redefine human-AI engagement and enable sovereign infrastructure for AI interaction,” said Matt Wright, CEO of GaiaNet. “With this investment, we are furthering our commitment to making AI more accessible, data bias-resistant, collaborative, and privacy-centric.”
GaiaNet has already begun transforming industries with its advanced AI solutions. Earlier this year, it announced a significant partnership with the University of California, Berkeley. Through this partnership with UC Berkeley’s FHL Vive Center, GaiaNet will integrate decentralized AI teaching assistant technology into more computer science and STEM courses, utilizing the distributed Gaia Network. This collaboration aims to enhance educational accessibility and demonstrate the practical applications of decentralized AI across various sectors.
The recent funding will support the development of new AI training models for developers and private data holders and expand the number of network nodes. Combined, these nodes have the potential to rival the AI capabilities of ChatGPT 3.5 and beyond.
“GaiaNet’s distributed network opens up endless possibilities for users and developers to collaborate with AI agents,” said Lucas Lu, CEO of ByteTrade Lab. “Our investment in GaiaNet underscores ByteTrade’s commitment to innovating and establishing a user-centric decentralized internet network.”
GaiaNet emerges at a time when there is a growing demand for decentralized alternatives to centralized large language models (LLMs) controlled by tech giants like Microsoft and Google. While many projects focus on decentralizing computing and data power, GaiaNet uniquely focuses on decentralizing AI inference servers like ChatGPT, challenging the dominance of industry giants.
