Back

Bittensor Co-Founder Jacob Robert Steeves Apologizes After Covenant AI Incident

Jacob Robert Steeves said Covenant AI founder Samuel Dare’s actions seriously harmed Bittensor and proposed a locked staking mechanism at the protocol layer as community development of several subnets continues.

TAO

Summary

Bittensor co-founder Jacob Robert Steeves said Covenant AI founder Samuel Dare’s actions seriously harmed the protocol and community, and apologized to users affected by losses. He proposed a locked staking mechanism that would add time-plus-staking commitments at the protocol layer as a measure intended to improve accountability. Steeves also said development of subnets 3, 39, and 81 will continue through community efforts.

Terms & Concepts
  • locked staking: A staking design in which tokens are committed for a set period or under defined conditions, limiting immediate withdrawal and aligning incentives over time.
  • protocol layer: The core rule set and infrastructure of a blockchain or network where fundamental system mechanics are implemented.
  • subnets: Separate network segments within Bittensor that support specific functions, applications, or communities inside the broader protocol.