Asked and Answered: A Dual AMA Recap

6 min readMar 8, 2019

Highlights from Matrix CEO Owen Tao’s and Matrix Chief AI Scientist Steve Deng’s March 7th AMAs.

On March 7th, both Matrix CEO Mr. Owen Tao and Matrix Chief AI Scientist Professor Steve Deng took some time out their busy schedules to answer community questions. Opportunities for top Matrix brass to interact directly with the community are incredibly valuable; and this time was no different. In total, nearly 100 questions were answered over the course of 3+ hours. Below is a selection of noteworthy questions and answers. Be sure to visit the Matrix Subreddit to view the entire thread!

In the last AMA, you mentioned some level of integration or use in Smart City projects? Can we have any details or future plans regarding this? (u/Kurisu9)

Owen: Certainly! The Matrix AI Network is already actively carrying out work in several so-called Smart City projects. One thing I can share is a smart platform we are making as part of a Smart City Firefighting and fire-prevention project. We will likely share more information about this project in the coming months.

How will Matrix AI holders directly benefit from the MBC Project (involving PetroChina) if they are using a sidechain and are not charged fees in MAN? Can you give more details on this arrangement? (u/Zercher_it)

Owen: The MBC Project’s applications and operations will use the computing power and related resources of the Matrix AI Network, which means they will use MAN to pay for these services.

Can you tell us, when [do] you plan to have real world applications used in reality [that have] an effect on the coin circulation? Do you plan to implement a second layer solution for increasing TPS etc.? There was an announcement that Matrix blockchain will run on IPFS. Can you give us an illustrative example of how this enhances the functionality of Matrix AI? (u/Paul_Berg)

Owen: Besides our mining network, there are several real-world applications coming including our cancer diagnostic applications. These will be open to the public and use the MAN token as the medium of distribution. So, this is one example of a real-world application that will have an effect on coin circulation.
Layer-2 solutions is something that we are actively exploring.
We view AI [as] comprising three key components: computing power, data and algorithms/models. In the future, we hope that everyone will be able to control their data and own all the benefits and value derived therefrom. This is why we have decided to use IPFS technology to store data. This method allows everyone to protect their own personal data.
Steve: Because our delegate node architecture already serves a similar function, as evidenced by our high TPS, we are in no rush to introduce a formal layer-2 solution. However, we believe this technology will be important in the future, so it is something we are exploring and planning for.

We see large (Chinese) tech companies moving heavily in to AI… Do you intend to supply these companies with computational power? What’s your general view on the rapidly emerging AI market and where you see Matrix AI’s place in it? (u/Neocorn)

Owen: Yes! We have every intention to provide computational power to individuals, companies and other organizations. Our hope is that, in the future, everyone will have access to AI computing services. In our view, we think there are three vital components in the AI industry: computing power, data and algorithms/models. Matrix is currently solving the issue of computing power. We have a very ambitious vision for the future of Matrix — one that addresses all three of these components.
We are planning to release an updated version of our whitepaper in the near future which outlines our vision in greater detail.

The AI medical space is becoming increasingly crowded with the likes of (Alibaba) “Ali Health” to develop applications including AI-assisted screening and diagnostics in China. What strategic advantages does Matrix AI have over competitors in the (AI assisted) diagnostics space? What specific milestones have been achieved with partnered hospitals? (u/Neocorn)

Owen: First, we have world-class algorithms and AI scientists who have won several international competitions. Second, I believe that distributed AI networks — rather than centralized solutions — will be the driving force behind the evolution and development of AI algorithms.
I’d like to add one thing about our work with hospitals. There are already several hospitals that have started using our cancer diagnosis system. A large number of international hospitals have also already expressed interest in using our technology.
Steve: That’s a very good question. Ali and Tencent are more aligned to collecting patient data by taking advantage of their competency in cloud computing. As big companies, they have to handle problems with a large patient population so that high operational costs can be neutralized. So, they have a preference towards image-based diagnosis.
We take a different path. First, we are targeting a few very challenging problems which depends on treatment records and other laboratory tests. Second, we are collaborating with leading hospitals to develop cutting-edge research. In 2009, I got support for cancer immunotherapy from the Chinese National Science Foundation and China Ministry of Science and Technology. Third, we have high quality patient data from early screening, to CT imaging, until biopsy. So far, we have the data of over 2,000 patients and all data are labeled by the best doctors of China.
We are now closely cooperating with the Shanghai Huadong Hospital and the Shanghai Pulmonary Medicine Hospital. These are the best Chinese hospitals in CT imaging and lung cancer treatment.

Now that the main network is almost ready, when the wallets for Android and Ios will be released. Are they already working? Do you have an approximate date? (u/marrfra84)

Owen: We are very happy that the Matrix Mainnet has launched. We estimate that we will release Android and IOS wallets approximately 2 months from now.

Since Matrix plan to run its own validators (and may be miners) after public validating/mining begins, how many validators (and miners) do you plan to run? How much [will] each staked? What’s your plans with those rewards which matrix’s own nodes will get? (partial question from u/wish_is_back)

Owen: The Matrix Foundation will deploy a TBD number of miners to ensure the stable and normal operations of the Network. When miners and verifiers staked by the community are unable to mine or normally produce blocks — for example, they might suddenly go offline — the Matrix Foundation nodes will step in and perform the work to ensure that the network remains uninterrupted.
However, the Matrix Foundation miners will not receive [any] block rewards for this mining work, nor will they be selected during the regular course of mining activities if there are sufficient community-staked nodes.

How important is the Bayesian Artificial Intelligence Learning Algorithm for Matrix’ overall AI and blockchain technology implementation? Would you consider Matrix’ Bayesian Artificial Intelligence Learning Algorithm one of the centerpieces of Matrix that is one of its main value propositions? (partial question from u/ jointhefuture4dot0)

Steve: Actually, there is not a single AI algorithm called Bayesian Artificial Intelligence Learning Algorithm. We are using many different AI algorithms to make MATRIX better. We use AI along with formal verification techniques for the security of smart contracts. We use AI to synthesize smart contracts from human languages. Even our miners are selected by an AI-based clustering algorithm. The integration of these algorithms into a blockchain, which is faster, safer, and smarter, that’s the value of MATRIX.

Are there news/follow ups concerning the external financial audits that were planned and announced during the last AMA? (u/jointhefuture4dot0)

Owen: Yes! The Matrix Foundation is currently actively working with Ernst & Young to complete the first year audit.

What patents has Matrix AI secured and what entity owns the rights to those patents? (u/Neocorn)

Owen: We have secured several patents including patents relating to our node deployment and election methods, blockchain architecture, and transaction verification techniques, just to name a few. All rights belong to the Matrix Foundation.
Steve: Matrix’s Chief Network Architect, Bill Li, and I have applied, or are in the process of applying, for 30 additional patents related to AI technologies in industrial systems. Many of the patents are specific to applications in high-speed rail, although the data processing, AI models and system integration can be generalized to other hardware and software systems, from self-evolving blockchains to smart cities.

This was just a few of the many questions answered in the AMA. Please visit the Matrix Subreddit to read the other responses.

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Asked and Answered: A Dual AMA Recap

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