Heurist is a Layer 2 network designed for AI model hosting and inference, built on the ZK Stack. Its mission is to be the “HuggingFace of Web3.” By leveraging a decentralized computing resource network, Heurist provides serverless access to open-source AI models, utilizing blockchain technology to democratize AI and ensure accessibility and unbiased innovation.

Vision and Values

Heurist envisions AI to be instrumental in onboarding the next billion users to crypto. The project is grounded in the shared values of open-source AI and crypto, such as transparency, data ownership, and diversity. Heurist aims to foster a two-way onboarding process: empowering crypto enthusiasts to engage with AI through a permissionless mining network using their home PCs and enabling AI model developers to access increased compute resources, publicize their models, and earn revenue share.

By supporting the development of Web3-native AI applications, Heurist allows individuals to access AI services at low or no cost, showcasing the practical benefits of decentralized technologies. The Heurist ecosystem promotes innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity, uniting the strengths of AI and crypto to create a future where advanced technology is accessible to everyone.

Name and Inspiration

The name “Heurist” is derived from the concept of heuristics, which refers to mental shortcuts that help humans quickly arrive at reasonable solutions to complex problems, reflecting the project’s goal to make sophisticated AI accessible and approachable for all users.

How Heurist was Founded

Jiewen Wang and Frank is the founder of Heurist. The journey began with an AI agent Heurist founders built to engage in crypto discussions on friend.tech. Through this project, they encountered several common challenges in AI Application development: high computational costs, censorship by major platforms like OpenAI, and a lack of AI model control.

To address these, they launched Heurist as a decentralized protocol to cut AI costs while maximizing customizability and sovereignty. With their team’s extensive experience in Web2 and deep roots in crypto, the team is dedicated to democratizing technology and making an AI ecosystem safe, accessible, and resistant to central controls.

Heurist vision is to empower developers and users worldwide to harness the potential of AI without the limitations imposed by traditional centralized platforms.

The Heurist Team

Here's how Heurist works🤔

Heurist protocol intricately connects various participants, each playing a vital role in maintaining a healthy decentralized ecosystem. These participants include Model Users (Consumers), Miners (Model Hosts), Model Creators, Application Integrators, and Validators.

To ensure economic security and the integrity of data returned from AI models, we will launch a utility token, Heurist Token (HUE). Participants can spend, stake and/or earn HUE based on the rules defined in smart contracts.

Roles in Heurist Ecosystem

Model Users: Users interact with the Heurist protocol to run inference tasks, such as text generation and image generation. They can choose from a variety of hosted AI models and pay for the computational resources on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Miners: Individuals with GPU resources can mine Heurist Token by hosting AI models. They run models on their own hardware and are compensated with user payments and Heurist Token emissions when consumers execute inference tasks. Miners are required to stake a certain amount of tokens as a commitment to providing quality services.

Model Creators: AI model creators drive the vibrancy of Heurist ecosystem. They upload AI models to the model registry of Heurist network and, in return, receive a portion of the payments made by users. This incentivizes creators to develop more advanced models to satisfy user's growing demand.

Application Integrators: Application integrators provide interfaces to end users that use Heurist’s AI models under the hood. Such interfaces might include chatbots, AI agents, and image generation tools hosted as web applications, and might also include SDK that can be integrated in web services. Application integrators earn a fraction of fees in Heurist Token whenever consumers make a payment through the application.

Validators: Validators maintains the integrity and trustworthiness of the Heurist network. They periodically check the correctness of the data produced by miners. If a miner is found to be producing invalid or fake data, their stake is slashed, with a portion awarded to the validator who identified the discrepancy.

Dynamic Resource Allocation

As the network grows, an increasing number of AI models and compute resources (mainly GPUs) will join it. We use token voting to allocate compute resources to every model.

The heurist protocol allocates more powerful GPUs to those models with (1) higher demand and (2) high token voting. An AI model creator can acquire more compute resources in two ways: by encouraging organic usage or by voting with their own tokens. Token holders are incentivized to vote for higher-quality models with higher demand as they will receive a larger revenue share from those models.

The Current Project Update of Heurist

August has been a month of exciting launches, milestones, and community-driven initiatives. Let’s dive into the highlights. You can refer to the blog Heurist’s August Highlights for full details.

• zkImagine Launches on ZKsync: Heurist's AI-powered NFT collection, zkImagine, allows users to create and mint unique artworks with zero gas fees, thanks to the Paymaster feature. Explore zkImagine.

  

• 1 Billion Inference Requests Processed: Heurist has processed over 1 billion inference requests, maintaining a strong performance with over 1,000 active GPUs. Mining emissions are stabilized at an annualized rate of 2.1%.

  

• Heurist Heroes Game: A 50,000 HEU token grant has been approved for the Heurist Heroes Game, an engaging 2D endless shooter with AI quizzes and reward incentives.

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• Create-to-Earn Campaign: Sprint 0 of the Create-to-Earn campaign is complete, refining a reward mechanism for users who create and mint NFTs with zkImagine.

  

• Art Contest with Moni Talks: Over 100 images were submitted for the Russian-speaking community’s art contest, showcasing Heurist Imagine’s creative potential.

  

Heurist Roadmap

Heurist token (HUE)

HUE is a utility token with a dynamic supply, influenced by both emission and burning mechanisms. The maximum supply is capped at 1,000,000,000.

Emission Mechanisms

1. Mining

• Process: Users can mine HEU tokens by hosting AI models on their GPUs.

• Staking Requirement: A minimum of 10,000 esHEU tokens must be staked for a mining node to be active. Below this threshold, no rewards are generated.

• Reward: Mining yields HEU tokens. Reward rate depends on GPU efficiency, availability (uptime), the type of AI model being run, and the total amount staked in a miner node.

• Boosted POW Mining: For stakes between 10,000 to 100,000 HEU tokens, mining efficiency increases proportionally with the amount staked.

2. Staking

• Process: Any user can stake esHEU tokens in mining nodes.

• Reward: Staking yields are given in HEU token. Staking esHEU produces higher yields than HEU.

• Vesting: esHEU rewards can be vested into HEU over a one-year period with linear vesting.

• Transfer of Stake: Users can instantly transfer their HEU or esHEU stake from one miner to another. This promotes flexibility and competition among miners.

Burning Mechanisms

Similar to the EIP-1559 model in Ethereum, Heurist implements a token burn mechanism. When users pay for AI inference, a portion of the HEU payment is permanently removed from circulation.

The balance between token creation and burning is closely tied to network activity. During periods of high usage, the rate of token burning can exceed the rate of new token creation. This will potentially lead the Heurist network into a deflationary phase. This mechanism helps in regulating the token supply, and aligns the token value with the actual demand within the network.

Bribes and (3,3)

“Bribes” were a term first coined by users of DeFi, more specifically, by those of Curve Finance. These bribes are actually gamified incentivizes that help direct rewards for liquidity pools, in exchange for an incentive. We draw inspiration from the bribing mechanism of Curve, and apply it in boosted POW mining in Heurist.

Miners have the option to set a specific percentage of their mining rewards as a bribe to attract stakers. A staker may choose the miner with the highest bribe, but other factors should also affect the staker's choice such as miner's hardware performance and uptime.

Miners are incentivized to bribe because a higher stake in the miner node will result in higher mining efficiency. It creates a competitive yet cooperative environment where miners and stakers are aligned to provide better service to the network.

With this game theory-inspired (3,3) mechanism, we create an alignment between miners and token holders who take actions to achieve the best collective outcomes.

• Proposal Page

  

• Heurist Stats

  

• Top 10 GPUs on Heurist Ecosystem

  

Heurist Unique Features and Advantages

Heurist offers many unique advantages and features:

• Decentralized AI Network: Heurist is a decentralized protocol for AI model hosting and inference, built on the ZK Stack Layer 2 network. This decentralized approach aims to democratize AI and ensure accessibility, transparency, and unbiased innovation.

• Incentivized Ecosystem: Heurist has a utility token (HUE) that facilitates an incentivized ecosystem. Participants can earn, stake, or spend HUE tokens based on their roles, such as miners (model hosts), model creators, application integrators, and validators.

• Dynamic Resource Allocation: Heurist uses token voting to dynamically allocate compute resources (GPUs) to AI models based on demand and token voting. Models with higher demand and more token votes receive more powerful GPU resources.

• Open-Source AI Models: Heurist emphasizes the use of open-source AI models, which are transparent, customizable, and often comparable in performance to closed-source models like ChatGPT or DALL-E.

• Pay-as-you-go Model Access: Users can access and run inference tasks on a variety of hosted AI models, paying for computational resources on a pay-as-you-go basis, potentially at lower costs than closed-source alternatives.

• Incentivized Testnet: Heurist has an incentivized testnet where participants can earn testnet rewards (Llama Points and Waifu Points) for hosting AI models on their GPUs. These points will be claimable as liquid HUE tokens at the mainnet launch.

• Developer APIs: Heurist provides REST APIs for developers to integrate AI models, like Stable Diffusion for image generation and Mistral 8x7b (comparable to ChatGPT 3.5) for language models, into their applications.

• Bribes and (3,3) Mechanism: Heurist implements a "bribes" mechanism inspired by DeFi, where miners can set a percentage of their mining rewards as a bribe to attract stakers, creating a competitive yet cooperative environment aligned with providing better services to the network.

• Token Burning Mechanism: Heurist has a token burn mechanism similar to EIP-1559, where a portion of user payments for AI inference is permanently removed from circulation, potentially leading to a deflationary phase and aligning token value with network demand.

• Anti-Cheat System: Heurist has an asynchronous monitoring system to track input and output of compute jobs, allowing for the slashing of testnet rewards for miners demonstrating malicious activities.

• Node Rental Service: Heurist provides a managed GPU node rental service, sourcing deals from various data center partners, making it easier for participants without GPU hardware to join the network.

• Community-Driven Innovation: Heurist aims to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity, bringing together the AI and crypto communities to create an ecosystem where cutting-edge technology is accessible to all

Spheron X Heurist: Unleashing the Power of Decentralized AI

Heurist and Spheron are joining forces to redefine the landscape of AI and decentralized compute, empowering a community-driven future free from traditional barriers. By integrating Spheron’s cutting-edge, scalable compute solutions, Heurist will provide seamless access to open-source AI models for training and inference, significantly lowering costs and democratizing access to powerful AI tools.

In return, Spheron will leverage Heurist’s infrastructure to develop innovative, open-source use cases, showcasing the power of decentralized AI and GPU rental solutions. This partnership will also introduce a dedicated "GPU Rental" tab on Heurist's platform, prominently featuring Spheron as a key partner, creating a unique synergy that accelerates the adoption of open, censorship-free AI technologies.

Heurist and Spheron are not just building tools; they are creating a decentralized, community-led ecosystem that prioritizes accessibility, transparency, and innovation in AI and compute.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Heurist is positioning itself at the forefront of a transformative movement in the AI and blockchain space. By leveraging decentralized computing and the ZK Stack Layer 2 network, Heurist aims to democratize AI access and foster innovation without the constraints of traditional centralized platforms.

The protocol’s unique structure—where users, miners, developers, and validators collaborate—ensures a fair, incentivized, and transparent ecosystem that balances performance and community-driven governance. The vision of combining AI with crypto opens the door for billions to engage with advanced technologies in a cost-effective, unbiased, and censorship-free environment.

Through initiatives like zkImagine, the Heurist Heroes Game, and strategic partnerships with companies like Spheron, Heurist is advancing the technology and building a future where AI innovation is genuinely decentralized and accessible to everyone. As Heurist continues to grow, it is clear that the project’s values of openness, collaboration, and inclusivity will be crucial to its long-term success.

FAQs

1. What is Heurist?
   Heurist is a decentralized Layer 2 network designed for AI model hosting and inference. It leverages blockchain technology to democratize AI and provide serverless access to open-source models.

2. How does Heurist work?
   Heurist connects various participants—model users, miners, creators, application integrators, and validators—in a decentralized ecosystem where computational resources are allocated dynamically through token voting and incentives.

3. What role does the Heurist Token (HUE) play?
   HUE is the utility token of the Heurist network. It facilitates economic interactions like mining, staking, and payments for AI model usage, as well as governance through token voting.

4. What makes Heurist unique?
   Heurist offers decentralized AI services focusing on open-source models, pay-as-you-go access, a bribe mechanism for staking, and a token-burning system that can make the network deflationary during periods of high demand.

5. How does Heurist promote decentralized AI?
   Heurist decentralizes the hosting and usage of AI models, allowing individuals and developers to engage with AI services without relying on centralized platforms. Thus, it enhances accessibility, innovation, and fairness in the AI landscape.