Autonomys Network: ex-Jumio Executive Appointed CEO for New deAI Vision Ahead of Mainnet Launch

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[PRESS RELEASE – Palo Alto, California, June 14th, 2024]

Autonomys (formerly Subspace) is now an identity-based decentralized AI (deAI) stack for human + AI (H+AI) collaboration

Introducing Autonomys—a decentralized AI (deAI) verticalized stack encompassing distributed storage, distributed compute, and a decentralized application (dApp) suite. The first primitive being built in the Auto Suite is our decentralized identity protocol Autonomys ID (Auto ID). Autonomys’s deAI ecosystem stack is designed to provide all the necessary components to build and deploy AI-powered dApps (super dApps) and agents, and includes:

• Distributed Storage: ensuring data integrity and availability, crucial for storing vast amounts of AI-related data.
• Distributed Compute: providing scalable and secure computational resources for AI training and inference.
• dApp / Agent Layer: deploying and facilitating the development of AI dApps and agents, integrated with Auto ID to enable secure and verifiable interactions.

This verticalized stack not only enhances the capabilities of AI applications, but also ensures that they operate within a secure and decentralized framework. The combination of distributed storage and compute and a robust identity protocol positions Autonomys as a leader in the convergence of web3 and AI. Only a scalable, decentralized network capable of handling billions of AI-augmented users can power the transition to H+AI. These fundamentals leave the Autonomys (formerly Subspace) Network uniquely positioned to support the necessary primitives, including decentralized identity-based transactions, at not only Internet-scale, but Internet of Agents (IoA)-scale.

“In the web3-enabled decentralized future, humans will be empowered by AI while retaining radical autonomy over their destinies. Unlike centralized AI, which is often biased and profit-driven, a decentralized platform embraces the rich tapestry of humanity, ensuring AI serves as an ally that reflects our diversity and enriches our lives. Only through decentralization can we achieve a future where AI truly amplifies human potential without compromising our values. We are shamelessly humanity maximalists.” – Labhesh Patel, Autonomys CEO.

Autonomys Network

The cornerstone of Autonomy’s vision for secure, sovereign H+AI collaboration is the Autonomys Network, a deployment of the Subspace Protocol. Its large community of farmers secures the blockchain—underpinned by innovative Proof-of-Archival-Storage (PoAS) consensus—by contributing storage, thereby earning rewards through active participation. The growing node operator network similarly provides compute power (execution), via our Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, and earns rewards. These decoupled execution environments are called domains. Read more about the protocol in the Autonomys Academy.

This powerful combination of consensus via PoAS and compute via PoS provides the ideal foundation for building stable, scalable products in the future, including Autonomys ID (Auto ID) and the applications built on top of this primitive. In this way, the Autonomys Network is set to become the infrastructure layer that underpins the full web3 x AI (AI3.0) stack, while simultaneously offering users control over their digital lives. Autonomys is helping pioneer an alternative path of autonomy to the state-dependency introduced by Universal Basic Income (UBI), suggested as a solution to the potential ‘jobs apocalypse’ brought about by the Age of AI. Our pathway, meanwhile, leads to the Age of Autonomy.

Autonomys ID

Any deAI stack is incomplete without the ability for humans to provide rule-based access controls. These are crucial to ensure AI agents are developed and operate within safe, ethical boundaries. Thus, the need for secure, verifiable identities is paramount.

Autonomys ID (Auto ID) is designed to meet this need by providing a robust, privacy-preserving decentralized identity protocol allowing both humans and AI agents to establish and verify their identities seamlessly. It represents a foundational pillar of our mission to help usher in the Age of Autonomy. Auto ID enables you to prove your humanity and create a unique identity on-chain without subjecting yourself to invasive biometric scans. This comprehensive proof-of-personhood can then be used across various dApps and services.

The integration of Auto ID within the Autonomy decentralized AI stack goes beyond human identities, however. By equipping AI agents with identities derived from human-controlled Auto IDs, Autonomy can establish a system of trust and accountability. This ensures that AI agents adhere to the guardrails defined by their human counterparts, fostering a secure and ethical AI environment. Soon, users will be able to use their Auto ID to develop and efficiently collaborate with AI agents that operate and perform complex transactions within a rule-based framework. Users can also be able to control your agents’ permissions and authenticate AI-generated content, bringing traceability to generative content, and allowing users to maintain authority over their digital footprint, as well as that of their agents.

A Brief Retrospective

In 2021, co-founders Jeremiah Wagstaff and Nazar Mokrynskyi released the farmer’s dilemma whitepaper after more than three years of R&D, funded entirely by grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Web3 Foundation. They conceived of a more equitable, fourth-generation Layer-1 blockchain, in line with Satoshi Nakamoto’s original vision. This marked the birth of the Subspace Network. Based on a novel consensus protocol allowing anyone to participate using their off-the-shelf PC, the network would scale as the number of users grew. This made Subspace the first truly scalable permanent decentralized storage solution for web3. The same year, the project raised $4.5 million in seed funding, and in 2022, $33 million in a strategic financing round led by Pantera Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Crypto.com, Hypersphere Ventures and Stratos Technologies.

Autonomy’s vision of enabling web3 to operate at Internet-scale has continued to evolve alongside the needs of the industry. In the years following, Subspace was unique in offering modular compute and execution, and developed into the scalable Layer-0 blockchain for both storage and compute.

Looking to the Future

At Autonomys, the aim is to take that a step further. The new roadmap foresees the Autonomys Network also serving as the:

future foundation layer for open, secure & accountable web3 x AI integration.

The company believes it has the tech, personnel and experience to achieve that goal. Over the last year, the project has taken a deep dive into AI under the inspiring leadership of our former CEO Jeremiah Wagstaff. While he and co-founder Nazar are stepping back from day-to-day leadership, they will continue to steer R&D through our most difficult problems, including further scaling via data sharding, and collective alignment of agentic AI. The team is immensely grateful for the insightful feedback we received from our diverse ecosystem of stakeholders during this time. It has been instrumental in our decision-making.

Autonomy’s new CEO Labhesh Patel, an expert in identity and AI, is stewarding Autonomys towards this AI3.0 mission, and is already pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. In the coming days and weeks, the community can expect Subspace’s domains, social handles and more to rebrand to Autonomys. Labhesh will soon be hosting a X/Twitter space to discuss these changes with the community. We’re incredibly excited for you to meet him.

Labhesh has over a decade of experience spanning the AI, web3, and identity and access management (IAM) industries, and brings a wealth of expertise to the project. In addition to developing cutting-edge technologies in digital ID, KYC and identity verification, Labhesh has dedicated years to the building and productizing of large-scale AI models. He is leveraging this experience to architect the creation of Auto ID, which will utilize fraud-resistant, non-invasive protocols to ensure secure Proof-of-Personhood (PoP) atop the Autonomys AI3.0 stack. His professional career is marked by a commitment to privacy, security and the seamless integration of AI and blockchain technology.

Users are invited to follow on X, and join the Autonomys community on Discord if you they haven’t already. Exciting updates and announcements are to follow. Autonomys’ new vision—to integrate the power of web3 with AI—is beginning to be realized with the release of Nova EVM and, soon, Auto ID. Looking ahead, we’re laser-focused on our plan to go live on mainnet in Q3 2024, and the team is looking forward to sharing more details and sneak peeks into the Auto product suite in the near future.

AI3.0 By Autonomys

As we move forward, Autonomys remains committed to driving innovation at the intersection of web3 and AI—what we’re calling AI3.0. Our vision is to create a world where AI agents and humans can interact seamlessly and securely within a decentralized ecosystem. By providing a comprehensive decentralized AI stack and a pioneering identity framework with Auto ID, we are laying the foundation for a future where technology empowers and protects individuals and their digital counterparts.

Welcome to Autonomys. Join us as an active participant in the Age of Autonomy.