Open Agents

Story Behind the Idea

We created a large language model (LLM) with a hilariously unique conversational style, and we felt it was essential to share it with the world. However, deploying it on platforms like AWS, GCP, or Together AI presents prohibitive costs, leaving us without a realistic revenue model. Current platforms primarily serve large, closed models or cater to big players with subscription models, leaving smaller developers like us without viable support.

Core Concept

What if there were a platform that truly champions independent creators, fostering AI developed and owned by the community? What if we could unite to challenge the giants like OpenAI and Anthropic?

By empowering developers to earn directly from users, we can transform this vision into reality. Instead of simply publishing on Hugging Face or pouring money into marketing, developers could showcase their models in a marketplace where they can receive fair compensation for their contributions.

What It Does

For developers, our platform offers a seamless setup process: they just input their API endpoint, API keys, model name (easily generated using vLLM), and wallet address. Within minutes, their model can go live in the marketplace.

For users, they can deposit tokens into their accounts. Each time they utilize a model, funds are transferred directly to the creator’s wallet, ensuring creators receive continuous support for developing and enhancing their models.

How We Built It

We designed Open Agents as a bridge between decentralized payments, user-friendly model hosting, and an efficient creator experience.

Key Technologies:

• Blockchain Integration: We integrated the NEAR blockchain to facilitate direct payments. Users can deposit tokens, which are used for model usage fees, directly benefiting creators with NEAR wallet support for effortless transactions.
• User Experience: Our platform enhances user experience with function access keys, allowing users to interact with the blockchain seamlessly without the hassle of repeated transaction confirmations.

Streamlining the Creator Experience: Creators can easily publish their models by entering essential information, their wallet address, and API details. The platform securely stores and retrieves this information, while NEAR smart contracts automate direct payments per usage, ensuring fair revenue distribution.

Our decentralized, creator-first approach not only mitigates prohibitive infrastructure costs but also positions Open Agents as a genuine alternative to larger platforms, empowering the community to collaborate and thrive.

Challenges We Faced

We encountered several key challenges along the way:

• The workload was substantial, and we couldn’t deliver everything we aimed for, such as a mainnet launch, swap pools, or an SDK for developers, by the NEAR’s Redacted Hackathon deadline.
• The number of models on the market remains moderate. With a grant, we hope to accelerate growth and introduce more resources to assist developers, including incentives and promotional support.

Accomplishments We’re Proud Of

Despite being a small team, we successfully completed the core of our project, establishing a platform that enables creators to easily add and publish their models. Additionally, creators earn fees based on user traffic, ensuring they are compensated for their work. This foundation paves the way for a sustainable, creator-friendly ecosystem. Eventhough the fact that our app is currently operational on the testnet demonstrates the feasibility of our solution and sets the stage for future growth.

What’s Next for Open Agents

The testnet is functioning flawlessly, and we plan to launch the mainnet and release the app for users to promote community-owned AI. Additionally, to drive mass adoption, we will develop a toolkit enabling developers to incorporate the creations of others into their apps and products. This initiative will further promote the usage of community-owned AI and support AI developers in their ongoing work.

Built With

• next.js
• python