Summary
TLDR: NEAR.AI started in 2017 as an AI company unrelated to blockchain. The team later developed the NEAR protocol, with the mainnet launching in 2020. Co-founder Polosukhin previously worked at Google Research on AI models and tools.
Key Points
1. NEAR.AI was originally founded in 2017 as an AI company unrelated to blockchain technology.
2. The NEAR protocol development began in 2018, leading to the mainnet launch in 2020.
3. Co-founder Polosukhin had previous experience at Google Research, focusing on AI model and tool development.