Decentralized AI: A Path to Self-Sovereignty, Say Onicai Executives

In the ongoing debate about the future of artificial intelligence (AI), a new movement is gaining traction—one that advocates for decentralized AI as a means to safeguard privacy, prevent censorship, and preserve self-sovereignty. Executives from Onicai, a decentralized AI developer, along with researchers from the Dfinity Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), recently released the "Manifesto for Decentralized AI." The manifesto outlines seven key principles to ensure that AI serves the interests of the end user rather than large corporations or state actors.

Onicai’s CEO, Patrick Friedrich, discussed the growing risks of centralizing AI technologies in the hands of a few powerful entities, which could lead to widespread manipulation and control. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Friedrich emphasized the potential dangers of centralized AI systems. “Going forward, with more and more AI agents acting autonomously, we don’t know what all of them can do. We want to make sure they are not biased by some bigger interest—whether those be governments, political parties, or huge organizations and companies,” he explained.

Friedrich argues that one solution to mitigate these risks is to run decentralized AI models through smart contracts on permissionless networks. These networks, being immutable, open-source, and highly transparent, would ensure that AI behavior is governed by a clear set of rules. This transparency would not only prevent censorship and manipulation but also allow users to run their AI with custom parameters, using local storage methods or decentralized clouds. The idea is to give users true control over the entire AI software stack, ensuring that their AI works for them, not for large institutions.

The Case for Niche AI Models

Onicai’s chief technical officer, Arjaan Buijk, also weighed in on the current state of the AI industry, criticizing the prevailing trend of creating general-purpose AI models. Buijk pointed out that the lack of profitability in developing specialized or niche AI models has stifled innovation and limited the growth potential of AI. Many AI companies focus on building broad, general models that do not cater to specific industries or needs. As a result, unique AI implementations—tailored to particular sectors or use cases—rarely come to fruition.

This is where decentralized AI platforms like Onicai and the Cortex decentralized AI platform come in. Launched in November 2024 by the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI), Cortex is an enterprise-grade decentralized AI designed specifically for industrial applications. It allows businesses to create custom-tailored AI models, reducing reliance on one-size-fits-all solutions provided by centralized companies.

“The lack of niche AI models stifles innovation,” Buijk said. “By decentralizing AI, we can allow for much more flexibility, enabling the development of solutions tailored to specific business needs and industries.”

Alternative Funding Models for Decentralized AI

As AI development continues to be dominated by venture capital-backed companies, some industry leaders are calling for alternative funding models to support decentralized AI projects. Michael Casey, co-founder of the Decentralized AI Society, recently told Cointelegraph that the nonprofit organization is exploring ways to fund AI projects without relying on traditional venture capital.

The decentralized nature of these funding methods could help counterbalance the influence that large investors and corporations have over AI development, making the technology more accessible and accountable to users.

The Race Toward Artificial General Intelligence

In the broader context of AI development, predictions about the arrival of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)—AI capable of performing any intellectual task that a human can do—are becoming more ambitious. In a November 11 interview with Lex Fridman, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, predicted that AGI could arrive as early as 2026 or 2027. This timeline significantly shortens previous estimates, which had placed AGI’s arrival in the 2030s or beyond.

While the idea of AGI remains speculative, the rapid development of AI technologies is prompting many in the industry to explore new ways to ensure these advancements benefit society as a whole. Decentralized AI, with its emphasis on transparency, user control, and the avoidance of centralized power, is seen by many as a crucial step in this direction.

Looking Forward

As the debate over the future of AI intensifies, the push for decentralized AI offers a potential solution to some of the most pressing concerns about privacy, censorship, and the concentration of power. By ensuring that AI is developed and controlled by a wide range of actors, rather than a few powerful corporations or governments, decentralized AI could help safeguard the principles of self-sovereignty and individual autonomy.

With the support of initiatives like the Onicai manifesto and the growing adoption of decentralized AI platforms, the vision of a more user-centric AI future is steadily moving closer to reality.