During the recent NVIDIA GTC 2024 conference, a key event focusing on AI hardware advancements, discussions revolved around the future of AI, Blockchain, and Open Web innovations. One notable speaker at the event was Illia Polosukhin, a co-founder of NEAR Protocol (NEAR), who shared insights on the evolution of AI models and the significance of Blockchain and token economies. Polosukhin stood out as the sole representative from the Blockchain industry at the NVIDIA conference.

A panel titled “Transforming AI,” led by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, featured most of the authors of the influential 2017 research paper “Attention is All You Need,” which introduced the revolutionary Transformer architecture for natural language processing. These co-authors have been involved in notable projects like OpenAI, Inceptive, and Essential AI.

The panel delved into practical applications of Blockchain technology, with Polosukhin highlighting the concept of programmable money and its implications on current and future digital economies. She explored the challenges and opportunities arising from the intersection of AI and blockchain, offering a holistic view on how these technologies could foster a more decentralized and efficient open network.

In an official statement from NEAR developers, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang expressed his admiration for NEAR, describing it as “very cool.” Following this endorsement, the price of NEAR experienced a notable increase, reflecting the positive reception of Huang’s remarks.