Please describe your proposed solution

Photrek will develop a means to exchange information from the Cardano blockchain to the Cosmos-based blockchain Fetch.ai. This is achieved by using the IBC (inter-blockchain communication protocol) implementation on Cardano (<https://github.com/cardano-foundation/cardano-ibc-incubator>). Photrek will develop an IBC based solution for Cardano developers to easily integrate Fetch.ai agents into their Cardano dApp. This will allow Cardano ADA &amp; FET holders to natively and seamlessly interact and access resources on the Fetch network.

In the global race to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), Cardano’s maturity, tooling, and strong support for AI projects (AGIX, NTX, RJV) make connection to the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI) desirable and achievable.

Photrek, a team with proven experience in machine learning, AI development, and risk intelligence, is actively involved in both the Cardano and SingularityNET communities. This involvement showcases our alignment with cutting-edge advancements in AI and our commitment to responsible AI development principles.

The ASI is a decentralized approach to challenging big tech’s dominance in the space, championed by SingularityNET (AGIX), Fetch.ai (FET) and Ocean Protocol (OCEAN). Together these communities combine their partner resources to accelerate and democratize AGI development, offering individuals control over their data and AI interactions, respecting autonomy and sovereignty.

To stay competitive, vast resources are required to integrate AI vertically across the tech stack, including data management and AI agents:

• Fetch.ai contributes its autonomous AI agents and blockchain infrastructure.
• SingularityNET provides expertise in AI development.
• Ocean Protocol offers advanced data sharing and monetization tools.

This proposal aims to connect Cardano with the ASI Alliance, via Fetch.ai's uAgents Framework. This integration leverages:

• Fetch.ai’s Almanac Contract for agent discoverability and coordination.
• Fetch Ledger for secure transactions using native FET token.
• CosmPy is a Python-based library facilitating interactions with Cosmos SDK-based blockchains.
• Fetch AI Engine for natural language processing.
• DeltaV front-end interface to the AI Engine, enabling a simple chat interface for users to enter their requests that are translated by the AI Engine into tasks.

Each component enhances user interaction and enables efficient complex task execution and decision-making within a scalable infrastructure.

Example use cases for Fetch.ai’s uAgents Framework include, and are not limited to:

• Supply chain management could deploy Agents to assist with and optimize demand forecasting, inventory control, logistics optimization, supplier relationships, quality control and risk mitigation.

• Financial industry automation of trading transactions, risk assessment, fraud detection, customized financial advice and customer support.

• Agents also have wallets letting them autonomously interact with the Fetch.ai Ledger to send and receive transactions, query balances, interact with contracts, and more.

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Impact of Superintelligence on Cardano Community

Joining the race to AGI marks a significant opportunity for Cardano to increase transaction volume and sustain its ecosystem. Cardano brings a mature research-driven community, quickly evolving tooling and a pre-existing user base supporting Cardano’s largest CNT by market cap (800+M ADA), SingularityNet (AGIX), signaling strong support for use cases involving decentralized AGI development.

By connecting Cardano to the ASI via Fetch.ai’s uAgents Framework and resources, users will have access to:

• A decentralized and rapidly expanding ecosystem where intelligent, autonomous agents can discover, coordinate with other agents, and execute complex tasks.
• Services and tools that facilitate collaboration, economic growth, and innovative opportunities tied to the evolution of decentralized AGI.

This puts Cardano at the cutting edge of what many agree to be one of, if not the biggest, technological revolution of our time. A revolution that market research groups like Fortune Business Insights anticipate will be valued at around $1.6 trillion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.1% from 2022 to 2029. With other projections as high as $3 trillion by 2030. Tapping into the immense potential for growth in this market helps secure Cardano’s future. A future that fundamentally transforms industries, economies, and societal structures through the democratization of AI and the enhancement of human capabilities.

Overall Impact

By funding this proposal, you empower the Cardano community to join the race to AGI via a network connection to the advanced decentralized AI powered resources of the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance. The knowledge and experience gained will also enhance community participation, attract top talent and partnerships, promote ethical AI practices and increase transaction volume through new use cases arising from the creation of apps and services that leverage the resources of the ASI.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Photrek and its team are well-equipped to lead this project, backed by a strong history of delivering complex, accountable, and transparent projects across multiple Catalyst funding rounds since Fund 4. Our expertise in blockchain governance and risk analysis positions us to assess the feasibility of this initiative within a defined budget and timeline.

Photrek's development team has delivered impactful solutions like the Contribution Engagement Score for SingularityNET’s Deep Funding and advanced voting protocols in collaboration with IOG Research. These projects highlight our capacity to build and manage sophisticated systems. Additionally, our technical expertise enables seamless integration with Fetch.ai’s uAgents framework, connecting Cardano to ASI and expanding blockchain functionality.

Photrek will validate the concept development by including a testing milestone to assess the communication latency and bandwidth between the Cardano and Fetch networks. The capacity of the communication will be compared against AGI functional requirements.

What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1: Project Launch and Initial Roadmap (1 month)

Milestone Output:

• Detailed definition of the milestones
• Project roadmap with:
• Plan on how to connect the data between Fetch/Cardano using Cardano IBC Incubators solution.
• Assessment of the technical requirements, SDKs and tooling needed to integrate Cardano with the Fetch.ai's uAgents Framework.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Milestones accepted by Catalyst Reviewers
• Roadmap addressing above points

Evidence of Completion:

• Approved milestones
• Public release of roadmap

Milestone 2: Concept Development (3 months)

Milestone Output:

• Conduct a detailed study on Cardano's current capabilities with IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication) implementation.
• Engage with both Cardano and ASI communities for feedback and partnership possibilities.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Report addressed Cardano’’ capabilities with IBC
• Engagement in existing Cardano and ASI community spaces such as discord, Twitter, etc.

Evidence of Completion:

• Screenshots of posts/threads/surveys
• Written report detailing the analysis of Cardano’s capabilities

Milestone 3: Testnet Prototype (3 months)

Milestone Output:

• Prototype specifications
• Set up test environments for both Cardano and Fetch.ai systems.
• Deploy the tools and infrastructure needed to establish IBC communications between Cardano and Fetch.ai.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Test environments are set up for both Cardano and Fetch.ai systems
• Tools will enable compatibility with Cardano and Fetch.ai

Evidence of Completion:

• Document detailing the prototype specifications, and report of deployed tools and infrastructure

Milestone 4: Evaluation of Prototype (3 months)

Milestone Output:

• Develop a working prototype that demonstrates basic interaction between Cardano and the Fetch ecosystem through an easy to use UI or API.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Prototype shows basic interactions between Cardano and Cosmos(Fetch.ai) utilizing the IBC infrastructure.
• UI is easy to use

Evidence of Completion:

• Recorded video walkthrough or write-up with screenshots of the prototype, showcasing the functionality
• Written report summarizing test results, including system performance metrics

Final Milestone: Final Report (1 month)

Milestone Output:

• Close out Report

Acceptance Criteria:

• Close out report follows Catalyst guidelines
• Report submitted

Evidence of Completion:

• Close out Report and video

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Photrek Team

Administration

Kenric Nelson, Project Lead

Development/Technical

Maciej Nowosielski, Senior Developer

Raymond Mata, Systems Administrator/Developer

Dr. Kenric Nelson is the Founder and President of Photrek, LLC which is developing novel approaches to Complex Decision Systems, including risk-aware machine intelligence, particularly for environmental risks, and governance policies for decentralized communities. He served on the Cardano Catalyst Circle governance council and is leading a revitalization of Sociocracy for All’s <member communityid="163" id="206462">work</member> circle. Prior to launching Photrek, Nelson was a Research Professor with Boston University Electrical &amp; Computer Engineering (2014-2019) and Sr. Principal Systems Engineer with Raytheon Company (2007-2019). He has pioneered novel information metrics that are improving the training of machine learning algorithms. His education in electrical engineering includes a B.S. degree Summa Cum Laude from Tulane University, a M.S. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Ph.D. degree from Boston University. His management education includes an Executive Certificate from MIT Sloan and participation in NSF’s I-Corp program.

Raymond Mata is a Systems Administrator and Developer for Photrek. His professional career spans three decades, and encompasses a diverse range of experiences and accomplishments. After graduating with a Pre-Med background in Psychology and Biology in Boston, he advanced to a freelance IT consultant and Server Engineer for a corporate data center serving 10,000 employees. Raymond later relocated to Hawaii and discovered his passion for education while teaching High School Computer Science and in parallel established a successful IT Managed Services Provider business with a ZERO-data loss track record providing technology solutions and critical support to local businesses across the islands for nearly two decades. Raymond then ventured into the blockchain crypto industry, inspired by its capacity to do good and address wealth distribution inequality. He opened a business as a dedicated Cardano stake pool operator for GROW, staked with ~48M ADA and largely recognized for his ongoing charitable child-saving initiatives. His present work at the intersection of blockchain and AI technology provides services to projects in the space ranging from community management, game development &amp; testing to blockchain infrastructure provider and systems administrator that all underscore his passion and commitment to the future of humanity and self-sovereignty.

Maciej Nowosielski is an experienced full-stack developer with a diverse skill set in hardware and software development, including proficiency in front and back-end languages, responsive frameworks, databases, and IT support. Committed to delivering high-quality solutions and contributing to company growth in a rapidly changing tech landscape, he continuously refines his skills to meet evolving organizational needs. Drawing on his disciplined problem-solving approach developed as a United States Army Veteran, Maciej excels in Web Development, Mobile Application Development, and emerging technologies such as WEB3 Blockchain development. His expertise also extends to IT support, where he focuses on maintaining seamless operations and resolving technical issues efficiently.

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Total Budget ₳ 150,000

Development: ₳ 67,500

Customer Engagement: ₳ 15,000

Computing Resources: ₳ 30,000

Project Management: ₳ 22,500

Contingency: ₳ 15,000

No dependencies.

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Photrek has been delivering high-quality projects for the Cardano ecosystem, from fund 4 to 12, with a strong commitment to fair compensation and efficient resource management. Our estimated Day-Person cost is approximately $1,000, reflecting the value we place on skilled team members and our dedication to meeting the highest standards. Our rates are based on self-employment in the US &amp; Canada. The rates take into account the employment overheads of the resources contracted. Furthermore, for collaborators who commit to multiple projects over a year, we provide a working partner contract that includes portable benefits. This has strengthened our sociocratic commitment to building a strong, capable team. The amounts are calculated for each milestone based on the hours to complete. For example, the chart for engineering and scientific salaries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is provided here.

This proposal offers substantial value for money to the Cardano ecosystem by connecting its growing interest in AI-related services to the advanced resources of the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI). Simultaneously, it advances interoperability through the Cardano Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol incubator, enabling the exchange of information between the Cardano and Fetch.ai blockchains. By utilizing Fetch.ai's decentralized, autonomous, and intelligent uAgents Framework, the project provides a prototype for the potential to generate new transaction volumes across both Cardano and Fetch.ai/ASI ecosystems. This integration streamlines complex tasks, enhances decision-making processes, and boosts the efficiency of governance and operational workflows, reducing overhead and minimizing human intervention. The resulting automation will lead to faster, more reliable decision-making and optimized resource allocation within the Cardano ecosystem. By providing Cardano users and developers with seamless access to Fetch.ai's and ASI's advanced resources, this project will not only increase transaction volume but also expand Cardano's utility and attractiveness, driving ecosystem growth and ensuring long-term sustainability.