The Gamified Future of Data Labeling: Trevor Koverko's Vision for Sapien

Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship

In this 26th episode of Colors of Web3 & Entrepreneurship, we dive into the fascinating world of AI and Web3 with Trevor Koverko, the co-founder of Sapien. Trevor shares his remarkable journey, starting from the early days of Bitcoin and Ethereum, and how he witnessed the evolution of the crypto space firsthand.

We then explore Sapien, Trevor's latest venture, which aims to solve the data labeling bottleneck in AI model training by building a decentralized network of human data labelers incentivized with crypto rewards. Trevor provides insights into their gamified approach, novel incentive mechanisms like staking, and the vision of attracting a large, high-quality labeler network.

Furthermore, Trevor shares his perspectives on the symbiotic relationship between AI and Web3, discussing how Web3 can help decentralize various components of the AI stack, such as compute, data labeling, and verification. He also offers valuable advice for aspiring Web3 founders, emphasizing the importance of focused verticals, understanding technical foundations, and engaging with the community.

⌛ Timestamps

00:00:00 Episode Intro

00:00:27 Introduction about the show and the guest: Trevor Koverko from Sapien

00:03:02 Trevor's Background and Early Days of Ethereum

00:05:31 He has lived through 3 crypto cycles

00:08:27 From Polymath to Polymesh

00:13:35 The Rise of Real-World Assets

00:19:29 How he learned about the Machine Learning process and discovered the data labeling aspect in AI

00:23:55 How human labelers facilities work

00:27:05 The importance of data labeling in the machine learning process

00:28:18 The need for human data labellers

00:30:52 Sapien's Approach to Data Labeling (demo)

00:36:00 Gamification and incentives for labellers

00:39:35 The need for highly-engaged labelers and a system where they can perform their work

00:43:48 The team behind Sapien and the phase of their product

00:46:10 Challenges facing Sapien

00:49:13 The Future of AI and Web3 intersection

00:53:38 Advice for Web3 Founders

00:56:12 Where to follow Trevor and his company

00:56:58 Outro and Closing Remarks

Follow Trevor and Sapien:

His Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/trevorkoverko

His company website: https://sapien.io/

My social media: Twitter/X: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/LamWeb3⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamweb3/⁠

Website: ⁠https://lamtrinh.xyz⁠

My latest article: https://lamweb3.substack.com/p/the-importance-of-decentralized-science

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