

Illia Polosukhin
Veteran AI researcher and one of the original authors of the Transformer paper, Attention is All You Need. Focused on building open-source infrastructure, tools, and products for Agentic, privacy-preserving AI systems at NEAR AI.
Top 10 podcasts with Illia Polosukhin
Ranked by the Snipd community

135 snips
Jul 17, 2025 • 49min
Building Open Infrastructure for AI with Illia Polosukhin
Illia Polosukhin, a veteran AI researcher and co-author of the Transformer paper, discusses his journey toward open-source AI at NEAR AI. He delves into the proliferation of user-owned AI and the ethical dimensions of combining AI with blockchain technology. Polosukhin highlights the importance of decentralized marketplaces, trusted execution environments, and secure GPU inference for maintaining privacy. He also critiques conventional AI hosting models, advocating for community-driven solutions to enhance transparency and security in AI infrastructure.

133 snips
Sep 13, 2025 • 1h 33min
User-Owned AI: On-Chain Training, Inference, and Agents, with NEAR's Illia Polosukhin
Illia Polosukhin, co-author of the influential 'Attention Is All You Need' paper and founder of NEAR, shares his bold vision for user-owned, privacy-focused AI. He discusses NEAR’s cutting-edge blockchain infrastructure that prioritizes decentralized model training and privacy through NVIDIA’s confidential computing. The conversation highlights the importance of trust mechanisms, economic security in AI, and the potential for blockchain to empower users in AI governance. Illia calls for community engagement in creating transparent practices for a future where AI truly belongs to everyone.

116 snips
Sep 30, 2025 • 1h 5min
The Decentralized Future of Private AI with Illia Polosukhin - #749
Illia Polosukhin, co-author of the groundbreaking 'Attention Is All You Need' paper and co-founder of Near AI, dives into the intersection of decentralization and private AI. He shares his journey from Google to revolutionizing blockchain with the NEAR Protocol. Topics include confidential computing for user data protection and the risks of AI centralization. Illia emphasizes a trust-building approach through open model training and formal verification. He also explores tokenized incentives for data contributions and the future of privacy in AI deployment.

111 snips
Apr 16, 2025 • 1h 2min
AI and the End of Apps (with NEAR)
Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR and co-author of the 'transformers' paper, shares insights on the revolutionary convergence of AI and crypto. He explores the concept of user-owned AI and its potential to replace traditional apps, emphasizing decentralized control. The conversation also delves into AI's evolution, from fascination to functionality, and its balance with human interactions. Moreover, he discusses the geopolitical implications of AI sovereignty and NEAR's innovative approach to scalability in blockchain technology.

84 snips
Oct 25, 2025 • 1h 28min
A Positive Vision for the Future: Part 2 with Illia Polosukhin of NEAR
Illia Polosukhin, co-author of "Attention Is All You Need" and founder of NEAR Protocol, shares visionary insights on AI's future. He discusses how AI coding empowers anyone to create personal automation and transforms job roles. Illia envisions a unified AI OS and the rise of niche communities in an AI-driven world. He emphasizes the need for ethical governance models, user-owned AI, and the importance of transparency in AI training. This engaging conversation explores the complex relationship between technology, society, and governance.

66 snips
Dec 9, 2025 • 55min
The Future of AI with Illia Polosukhin: The Man Who Put the T in GPT
Illia Polosukhin, co-author of the groundbreaking 'Attention Is All You Need' paper and co-founder of NEAR Protocol, dives into the evolution of AI. He reveals how the shift from recurrent models to transformers was born from practical constraints at Google. Illia discusses the hidden qualities of AI systems, the importance of data provenance, and the future of blockchain in fostering trust. With insights on the empowering nature of personal AI models and the impending agent-to-agent economy, he paints a fascinating picture of AI's trajectory.

42 snips
Mar 24, 2026 • 1h 18min
Illia Polosukhin: Why AI Agents Are Still Useless (And What Fixes Them) | NEAR Founder on IronClaw
Illia Polosukhin, NEAR co-founder and Transformer paper co-author, digs into why AI agents still feel clumsy. He explores trust, security, privacy, and context limits holding them back. The conversation also dives into IronClaw, AI as the new interface, blockchains as the backend, and the rise of autonomous businesses and digital life forms.

41 snips
Sep 12, 2025 • 58min
Illia Polosukhin: Fixing the Broken System He Helped Create
Illia Polosukhin, co-author of the groundbreaking Attention Is All You Need and co-founder of NEAR Protocol, shares his vision for a reimagined AI landscape. He argues that today’s centralized AI is broken and champions User-Owned AI for better privacy and user alignment. The conversation dives into the evolution of AI technologies, ethical concerns with current systems, and innovative blockchain solutions that could enhance AI operations. Illia also highlights the potential of open protocols in improving trust and creating personalized AI experiences.

40 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 1h 1min
The Chopping Block: AI's Role in Crypto, Agentic Coding, & Citrini Financial Crisis
Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR Protocol and contributing author of the original Transformers paper, joins to discuss AI meeting crypto. They explore agentic assistants as new interfaces. Topics include secure enclave hosting, permissioning lessons from blockchain, AI-written smart contract risks, agent marketplaces and escrows, and the debate over sensational AI-driven financial doom.

10 snips
Mar 19, 2026 • 37min
AI Transformer Model Author Illia Polosukhin: Building the Intention Economy
Illia Polosukhin, co‑founder of NEAR Protocol and coauthor of the transformer paper, blends AI research and blockchain building. He discusses agentic commerce as intent flows, scaling payments and coordination with NEAR, and securing AI agents through IronClaw. Short takes cover protocol aggregation, agent custody challenges, and the evolution of secure OSes for AI.


