Solana Labs integrates ChatGPT plugin to connect blockchain to AI

Solana Labs, the developer of the Solana blockchain, announced Tuesday that it has released a ChatGPT plugin that combines blockchain technology with artificial intelligence that will allow users to query information from the network.

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot from OpenAI LP that can answer questions from users in conversational language. The company enabled developers to extend it with plugins in March, enabling the bot to pull data from external sources.

With this announcement, Solana has become the first Layer 1 blockchain to integrate AI capabilities. Using the plugin, users will be able to query information directly from the blockchain using call prompts to understand Solana data and protocols. It is aimed at enabling developers and amateurs to gain a better understanding of information about the data infrastructure, underlying data and decentralized finance projects.

“All developers building consumer-facing apps should think about how their app will interact with through an AI model because this is a new paradigm for telling computers what to do,” said Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder and CEO of Solana Labs, said in an interview published on Solana’s website.

Yakovenko added that by using AI, people can almost feel like they are talking to another human, which could completely change how they digest information. “AI will make Solana more usable and understandable,” he said.

The add-on was original teased by Solana in late April, noting that it would be an open-source implementation that would allow users to manipulate data on the blockchain. It currently connects directly to a Solana blockchain node and users can purchase non-fungible tokens, transfer tokens, examine on-chain transactions, examine account data, and view NFT prices.

Non-fungible tokens are a type of crypto-asset built on blockchain technology that provide provable ownership of digital objects, such as artwork and video game items. They are cryptographic tokens that can be bought, sold and traded. NFTs are often part of collections, which people often buy, sell and trade like trading cards.

Right now, AI can describe objects on the chain, such as whether it is part of an NFT set, but it will not yet automate the creation of NFT collections. Yakovenko said a future goal is to add the ability to write to the blockchain, but the plugin isn’t there yet. Developers interested in taking the plugin for a spin can grab the current iteration from the GitHub repository.

One of Solana’s claims of value in the blockchain space is that it is a high-speed, low-fee blockchain that makes it easy to distribute and spend NFTs on. With the addition of an AI interface for users to talk to and understand the network, Yakovenko hopes, it will attract more developers.

“Right now we’re in the stage of discovering what AI can do,” he said. “I encourage developers to write plugins for whatever software they’re working with, interact with it and discover what it can do. I don’t think anyone knows where it’s going to go. It’s just really, really cool that you can basically treat it as a “Star Trek” computer.”

In addition to the ChatGPT plugin, Solana Foundation also announced that they are increasing their AI-focused grant program from the original announced 1 million to 10 million dollars. The goal is to encourage Solana developers to explore machine learning and the use of artificial intelligence.

Photo: Solana