Artificial Intelligence and Neural Networks

Recently Distributed Ledger Technologies (Blockchain) entered this space threatening to disrupt the big data industry through innovative initiatives such as Endor.com, Numerai.io or Matrix.io. These new kids on the (AI) block promise to democratize analytics through Blockchain and become, as in the case of Endor - the “Google of predictive analytics.” As opposed to Google however, which is a centralized platform, Endor promises a decentralized protocol called “Endor.coin” that enables any member of the community to contribute to its improvement and be rewarded in tokens, which in turn can be used to answer questions from an ever-enhancing prediction engine. A protocol enables something. Just like TCP/IP is the protocol that enables peer-to-peer exchange of files, and Blockchain is the protocol that enables the peer-to peer exchange of assets, Endor is proposing to be the protocol for the Internet of Predictions, enabling anyone to improve it by plugging in new prediction engines! Just like anyone can build new applications on Ethereum, anyone can use Endor to create new businesses, such as new blockchain enabled insurance models, predictive e-Health and personal medicine, optimized services for small businesses seeking to better use existing advertisement services, innovative marketing models on blockchain, and so on. The key to all of this will be building a vibrant community of users and contributors. On centralized platforms, community happens through “if you build it [the platform], they will come.” On blockchain, the motto is “if they come, they will build it”, and bringing contributors is done by giving them tokens. We typically think of such tokens as securities to be liquidated, but Endor is promising a new method: the tokens (EDR) will not be liquidated but rather act as a utility to access the overlaying services, such as data or predictive models. Endor plans to build its capabilities by committing 60% of all tokens to contributors: entrepreneurs (called “catalysts”) that will build businesses using the platform will receive 25%, researchers that will build the algorithms used in Endor’s library will receive 15%, and strategic partners such as Bancor and ORBS that will maximize distribution of the Endor coin will receive 20% of the total amount of tokens. A crucial factor to the success of such decentralized endeavors is an appropriate allocation of tokens that ensures the right mix of stakeholders in the ecosystem. The creation of analytics engines on blockchain is a revolution in the way we think about and leverage big data. Using blockchain, a company like Endor can address many of the ills plaguing centralized data platforms, by ensuring: (1) data sovereignty, letting users choose to provide their data in exchange for tokens; and (2) accountability, giving full transparency to the user as to what data and what engine was used to make a prediction.