The Lighting Network Integrates AI Support

This month marks a major milestone for the Lightning Network as one of the protocol's main development teams, Lightning Labs, announced the release of AI support. The developers behind the concept, Olaoluwa Osuntokun, and Michael Levin, released an open-source application that integrates directly with AI systems like ChatGPT.

Large Language Models (LLMs)

The upgrade focuses on LLMs. Large Language Models are AI systems that learn and communicate like humans. They are known to mimic human learning by analyzing massive troves of data. The systems are designed to recognize patterns and communicate answers just like humans.

LLMs Gain Payment Method – AI Support

The new protocol makes it possible for LLMs to send, receive, and hold Bitcoin. Transactions can be conducted on either the mainnet or the Lighting Network. The maneuver fills a massive void in the AI and bot sector in that these systems lacked a formal payment method. 

Most LLMs have no way to leverage the current internet payment systems in place. The latest integration provides an out-the-box solution that lowers costs and improves security. The team went to great lengths to provide the added flexibility of enabling Lighting Network payments to lower costs and improve performance.

Lightning Labs – AI Support

AI Tooling

The upgrade introduces a new portal that grants access to the Langchain AI software library. This library has a variety of templates and other tools that streamline AI creation. There are infrastructure tools and now, a Bitcoin option called LangChainBitcoin. Developers can save time and effort by leveraging these features versus building from scratch.

AI templates will help to streamline the Dapp creation process for Bitcoiners. Notably, Bitcoin recently got the capability to create smart contracts and NFTs thanks to some upgrades. The BRC-20 tokens standard makes it possible for Bitcoiners to issue digital assets which could one day be leveraged by advanced AI systems to make payments.

Micropayments Add Usability – AI Support

Micro-payments are another advantage that AI systems could leverage to improve their models. Micropayments can be used to verify ID or pass value between machines. For example, imagine your smart car receiving payment for sharing real-time data about its surroundings with the network. These payments could then be used to pay tolls automatically without any driver input. 

L402 Protocol – AI Support

Notably, the entire project wouldn’t be possible if not for the recent L402 Protocol. This standard for payment-metered APIs opened the door for more innovation in the ecosystem. Specifically, it's easier to integrate because it fits in the existing HTTP 402 Payment Required status response code.

Both Technologies on the Rise

The melding of the Lightning Network and AI makes perfect sense from a technical aspect. AI continues to gain more control over systems. However, it lacks a standard payment system. Bitcoin is the best option when used in combination with eh Lighting Network because it offers security, sovereignty, and censorship resistance. 

AI Lightning is the Move

Giving Bitcoin Dapp developers access to AI tools is a great way to improve both technologies. AI systems are becoming the norm and the Lighting Network is at the point where it is reliable. For these reasons, the AI Lightning Network merger makes perfect sense and will lead to developers creating more ROI opportunities for everyone.