What is AGI?
Most of the AI we use today is optimized for specific tasks. These are known as narrow AI (ANI, Artificial Narrow Intelligence). Examples include translation tools, recommendation algorithms, and the board-game AI AlphaGo. They perform at a world-class level in one domain but cannot transfer their skills to another.
In contrast, AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) refers to intelligence that can learn, reason, and adapt across multiple domains like a human being. For instance, an AGI could translate text and then immediately create a presentation slide deck, plan a trip while also booking flights and hotels, or analyze medical data and propose new treatment methods.
If narrow AI is like a pianist who can only play one instrument, AGI is like a band member who can play piano, violin, drums, and even compose music.
Why Sentient Emerged
As AGI development accelerates, several issues have become clear.
First, the problem of corporate monopoly. Today, the AI industry is dominated by a handful of companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. These firms build closed-source models and control data access, pricing, and ethical standards internally. As a result, the trajectory of AI often follows the interests of corporations and investors rather than humanity as a whole.
Second, a lack of transparency. It is often unclear what data models are trained on or how they make decisions. This creates challenges around accountability, fairness, and trust.
Third, questions of rights and compensation. While AI systems are trained on human-generated text, images, and audio, the individuals providing this data rarely receive ownership or rewards.
Fourth, safety and value alignment. If AGI were to serve the interests of a single group or corporation, it could pose risks to society at large.
It is within this context that Sentient has emerged.
The Vision of Sentient
Sentient’s mission is to ensure that AGI becomes a shared asset for humanity rather than the exclusive property of corporations. To achieve this, it emphasizes three principles:
- Open: Models must be available for anyone to download, verify, and improve.
- Monetizable: Contributors should receive fair rewards for their input.
- Loyal: AI must serve humanity as a whole, not the interests of individual companies.
In short, Sentient is not only rethinking the technology itself but also redesigning the ownership and value structures behind AGI.
The GRID and Core Technologies
At the heart of Sentient lies The GRID, a vast network where different AI models, agents, and data sources are interconnected. Developers can create new agents and upload them to the GRID, receiving rewards whenever others use them.
Users, in turn, can access Sentient Chat, which enables practical applications such as token asset reports, news summaries, and trip planning. Sentient Chat already has millions of people on its waitlist, signaling strong interest.
In addition, the project is running OpenDeepSearch, a model that combines search with reasoning, and it has introduced the Sentient Protocol, a blockchain-based system that ensures contributors are rewarded through tokenized incentives.
Strengths and Limitations
Sentient’s strengths lie in its focus on decentralization and open source, its protection of data and model ownership rights, and its community-driven governance. This structure allows all participants to share value and receive fair compensation, which is rare in the current AI industry.
However, limitations remain. The project is still in its early stages, and it cannot yet be considered a full-fledged AGI. Compared to tech giants, Sentient lacks the same level of capital and infrastructure. Open-source systems also come with challenges such as security and potential misuse. Regulatory environments around the world are another critical variable.
Outlook and Significance
If Sentient succeeds, AGI could become a shared resource for all of humanity rather than the property of a few corporations. This would not only be a technological breakthrough but also a reconfiguration of AI’s power structures and economic models.
Users would be able to access services fairly, developers could generate income through contributions, and companies could rely on transparent datasets. Society as a whole would be able to participate democratically in determining AI’s direction.
Sentient is still in its early days, but it stands out as one of the most notable projects at the intersection of AI and blockchain. It is actively confronting the questions of who controls AGI, how it should be built, and for whose benefit it should operate.
Conclusion
Sentient remains in its infancy, but its vision is crystal clear. It seeks to prevent AGI from becoming monopolized by corporations and instead make it an asset shared by all of humanity.
This represents more than just another technological development. It is an attempt to redefine the ownership and governance structures of artificial intelligence itself. As AGI becomes a transformative force in society, the questions of who controls it and who benefits from it will only become more pressing.
Sentient is experimenting with the philosophy that “AGI should belong to everyone.” While the outcome is uncertain, the issues it raises and the solutions it proposes will serve as a valuable reference point as we prepare for the AGI era.
