Illia Polosukhin is the co-founder of NEAR Protocol and a co-author of the landmark “Attention Is All You Need” paper that introduced the Transformer architecture, the foundation of modern AI systems including ChatGPT and Claude.
Transformer Paper
While working at Google Research, Polosukhin co-authored “Attention Is All You Need” (2017), one of the most cited papers in the history of computer science. The Transformer architecture it introduced became the basis for large language models (LLMs) and generative AI. This dual background in AI and blockchain gives Polosukhin a unique perspective on the intersection of AI and crypto.
NEAR Protocol
Polosukhin co-founded NEAR Protocol with Alexander Skidanov in 2018. NEAR is a Layer 1 blockchain designed for usability and scalability, featuring a sharded architecture called Nightshade that allows the network to scale throughput by splitting processing across multiple shards.
NEAR’s focus on developer and user experience includes human-readable account names (replacing long hex addresses), a novel account model, and a gas-fee delegation system that allows apps to cover transaction fees for their users.
AI and Blockchain
Polosukhin has been a leading voice on the convergence of AI and blockchain technology, advocating for decentralized AI governance and on-chain AI agents. NEAR has developed AI-focused initiatives, positioning itself at the intersection of these two transformative technologies.