Sean Ren is is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Early Career Chair at the University of Southern California (USC). He leads the Intelligence and Knowledge Discovery (INK) Research Lab and holds roles in USC’s Information Sciences Institute (ISI), the USC NLP Group, and the USC Machine Learning Center.
His research focuses on creating generalizable natural language processing (NLP) systems, enhancing AI with common sense, and improving model transparency. In addition to his work at USC, Ren contributes to the Allen Institute for AI (AI2) and has previously advised Snapchat. He earned his PhD in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Sean is also the CEO & C0-Founder of Sahara AI, a decentralized AI blockchain platform that aims to disrupt the centralized AI landscape by building a collaborative AI economy.
What inspired you to co-found Sahara AI, and how does the company’s decentralized platform address the ethical concerns surrounding AI ownership?
Sahara Labs was founded in April 2023. Artificial Intelligence is transforming our world at an unprecedented pace. From personalized recommendations and virtual assistants to advanced healthcare diagnostics, financial forecasting, and industrial automation, AI’s influence is pervasive and growing. However, this swift advancement raises significant concerns about control, fairness, and accessibility. As AI becomes more powerful, questions arise about who controls these systems and how they’re used. Major tech companies dominate the AI landscape, often collecting vast amounts of public data contributed to individuals without adequate compensation or transparency. Users frequently interact with AI-driven services without knowing how their data is being used or the providence of the information that contributed to the AI’s outputs. This centralization of power and lack of transparency can lead to biased algorithms, privacy violations, and unequal access to AI’s benefits. As an experienced AI researcher and practitioner, our team saw this challenge within the existing AI landscape and we started brainstorming solutions in Q2 2022 (pre-GPT era) as one of the earliest. Ultimately, we decided to land our foot on our current vision and mission.
At Sahara AI, we envision a different approach – one where AI is open, equitable, and beneficial to everyone across all stages of the AI development cycle. Our decentralized AI blockchain platform allows everyone – from individual developers to large enterprises – to participate in and benefit from AI advancements. This ensures that all contributors are fairly compensated, sovereignty of data and models are maintained, and AI assets can be securely created, shared, and traded, all while preserving privacy and promoting inclusivity.
As an Associate Professor at USC, how does your academic background influence your approach to AI ownership and governance at Sahara Labs?
My academic research centers on building generalizable natural language processing (NLP) systems capable of handling a wide variety of language tasks and situations. This involves developing new algorithms and datasets to make NLP models more cost-effective to build and maintain, arming AI models with commonsense reasoning, and improving their transparency and reliability to build user trust. These principles have directly influenced my approach to AI ownership and governance at Sahara Labs. At Sahara AI, we prioritize making AI more accessible, transparent, and trustworthy—values that stem from my academic work.
How do you see equitable compensation models evolving as AI continues to reshape industries, and how does Sahara AI empower contributors to the AI value chain?
Equitable compensation is central to our vision. As AI reshapes industries, it is critical that contributors at all levels—whether they’re providing data, building models, or offering computational resources—are fairly compensated. Our platform fosters a collaborative AI economy where contributors are rewarded in proportion to the value they create. Using blockchain, we ensure that compensation is transparent and traceable, making it clear who contributed what, and how they are compensated. This model empowers contributors to the AI value chain by giving them control over their assets and ensuring fair payouts.
Our decentralized marketplace allows for direct peer-to-peer transactions, cutting out intermediaries and creating a more inclusive, accessible economy. As AI continues to evolve, we see a shift toward this kind of decentralized, equitable model where contributors of all sizes can thrive.
Sahara AI emphasizes “AI sovereignty.” Could you elaborate on what this means and how it will impact users, developers, and businesses in the AI ecosystem?
AI sovereignty is a foundational principle of our platform. It means that everyone—be it end-users, developers, and businesses—maintain complete ownership and control over their AI assets. In today’s centralized AI systems, ownership is often transferred to large corporations, leading to a loss of control and privacy for the creators. Sahara AI shifts this dynamic by using blockchain to give full sovereignty to those who develop or contribute to various AI assets. AI sovereignty fosters an open, decentralized ecosystem where individuals and small teams can compete with larger entities while maintaining control over their intellectual property. This empowers smaller projects to innovate without worrying about losing ownership or competitive advantage, while developers can monetize their work on their own terms.
Your work focuses on transparency and trust in AI. How does Sahara AI integrate these values into the development of its blockchain platform?
Blockchain technology allows us to ensure that every action on our platform—from the development of AI assets to their deployment and monitization—is fully transparent and recorded on an immutable ledger. This creates a verifiable record that anyone can audit, ensuring that AI assets are handled ethically and fairly. Trust is built because users no longer have to rely on a central authority to manage their contributions. Instead, the decentralized nature of Sahara AI ensures that no single entity has control, and every participant can see how their work is being used. This system of transparency fosters accountability and trust across the platform, which is critical for creating an ethical AI ecosystem.
Given your extensive collaborations with companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Snap, how do you view the role of large tech firms in shaping the future of decentralized AI?
Large tech firms have been pivotal in advancing AI, but their centralized approach limits access to resources and innovation for smaller players. I see decentralized AI as a way to complement the work of these large firms while promoting broader access and fairness. Decentralized platforms give smaller developers and businesses the tools to compete on equal footing, offering a level of autonomy and ownership that is not typically available in centralized systems. While large firms will continue to play a significant role in AI innovation, decentralized AI platforms like Sahara AI will democratize the ecosystem, ensuring that the benefits of AI are more evenly distributed across the entire community.
What challenges do you foresee in maintaining ethical AI standards as AI continues to grow, and how is Sahara AI positioned to address these?
Maintaining ethical AI standards is an ongoing challenge, particularly as AI becomes more pervasive. Issues like data privacy, transparency, and fair compensation need constant oversight. At Sahara AI, we are positioned to address these challenges through our decentralized governance model.
The governance of our platform will be driven by the community, with key decisions made transparently through the Sahara DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization). Users who have made significant contributions to the ecosystem have a say in the platform’s direction, proposing and voting on initiatives that align with the community’s values.
The Sahara Foundation will play a key role in supporting this governance model, guiding the DAO in its formative stages to ensure that it develops into a fully decentralized, community-driven body. By embedding this decentralized governance structure into the platform, we ensure that ethical standards are maintained and that contributors are fairly represented in decision-making processes.
Can you tell us more about the Prometheus Program and how it invites the community to shape the future of decentralized AI with Sahara AI?
The Prometheus Program is our initiative to invite the community to actively participate in shaping the future of decentralized AI. Participants, whom we call modern-day Prometheans, get early access to our tools and platform, allowing them to directly influence the development process through their feedback. This program is about collaboration—contributors help us refine and improve the platform, and, in return, they are rewarded for their input and efforts. It’s a key part of our vision for an open, collaborative AI ecosystem where the community plays a central role in shaping its future.
As a leader in both academia and the AI industry, how do you balance your research efforts with your entrepreneurial responsibilities at Sahara AI?
Balancing academia and entrepreneurship requires careful management, but the two roles complement each other. My research informs much of what we do at Sahara AI. Meanwhile, the practical challenges of building a decentralized AI platform provide new perspectives that enhance my research. I’m fortunate to work with talented teams in both fields, allowing me to contribute to both areas without compromising on quality. This synergy ensures that Sahara AI is grounded in cutting-edge research while addressing real-world challenges.
What excites you the most about the future of AI governance, and how can we ensure that ethical AI practices remain a priority in the coming years?
With decentralized systems like Sahara AI, we can create a more democratic and transparent form of governance, where contributors have direct control over their AI assets. This ensures that ethical practices are built into the system itself. To keep ethical AI practices a priority, we need to focus on transparency, accountability, and inclusivity—ensuring that all stakeholders, regardless of size, have a voice in shaping the future of AI. By empowering the community to govern AI development, we can build a future where ethical AI is the standard, not the exception.
Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Sahara AI.
