NEAR Protocol Supports Web3 AI With New $20M Development Fund

• NEAR Foundation launches a $20M AI Agent Fund to drive decentralized AI development and mass-market consumer solutions within the Web3 ecosystem.
• The initiative focuses on AI agent tokenization, decentralized infrastructure, and partnerships to accelerate blockchain-powered AI adoption and interoperability.

NEAR Protocol has launched the AI Agent Fund, a $20 million investment fund for the development of decentralized AI agents. Particularly in the AI-based mass consumer solutions market, the action seeks to open fresh prospects in the Web3 ecosystem.

Near Protocol: Focus on AI Tokenization and Interaction

With a main focus on companies developing AI agent tokens, the money will be directly dispersed over the following few months via on-chain investments. This concept lets AI agents communicate directly with blockchain-based technologies and operate in a more open, auditable surroundings.

Among the other developments under active research are agent tokenization to offer improved incentive systems, agent-curated order flow to increase trade efficiency, and artificial intelligence-based on-chain gaming whereby intelligent agents manage virtual characters.

Furthermore, enabling a more fluid user experience in adopting Web3 technologies are permissionless AI oracles able to give data in a more scattered manner and AI-based social onboarding.

Ecosystem Boost Through Partnerships

The NEAR Foundation has teamed with numerous initiatives, including Sky and Frax, that have been engaged in the AI and blockchain domains in an attempt to hasten this growth. These projects, with their expanding ecosystem, should generate new value sources and draw additional developers to the NEAR network.

On the other hand, CNF previously noted that the NEAR Infrastructure Committee already has a 2025 strategic plan. Their primary areas of attention include proactive financing for chain abstraction across its ecosystem and artificial intelligence innovation.

Stated differently, NEAR aims not just to participate in the blockchain but also to create a strong basis for more decentralized and autonomous artificial intelligence technologies.

NEAR Infrastructure: Combination of MPC and Chain Signatures

NEAR has developed different infrastructure components so that this artificial intelligence technology may run effectively and safely. Through NEAR Intents, one of them is off-chain and cross-chain commitments, therefore enabling more flexible transactions across several blockchain systems.

Furthermore, depending on Multi-Party Computation (MPC) for cryptographic key management and Chain Signatures to guarantee the security of the link between networks is NEAR. This combination allows AI agents to maintain decentralization while working more safely in a larger environment.

More Than just Money

Not only is this AI fund NEAR’s attempt to hasten technological adoption unique. To inspire even more invention, further initiatives, including the Horizon AI Accelerator and AI-based hackathons, are under way. By means of these several projects, NEAR aims to establish a habitat for developers seeking to explore fresh frontiers between artificial intelligence and blockchain.

After rising 0.79% over the last 24 hours, NEAR is trading at about $3.35 as of press time. Its transaction volume similarly surged 30.84% to $213.64 million.