Raoul Pal: The Journey Man URGENT: AI Is Inevitable. But Can It Be Better?
15 snips
Jan 8, 2026 
Jeffrey Quesnelle, co-founder and CEO of Nous Research, dives into the urgent need for decentralized, open-source AI. He fears that allowing a few powerful companies to control AI could stifle innovation. The conversation highlights how his organization utilizes crypto for capital formation and coordinates training across multiple data centers. They also delve into the philosophical implications of open-source, comparing it to the historical impact of the printing press. Jeffrey shares insights on AI research trends and the importance of retaining human context in an increasingly intelligent world.
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From Automotive Electronics To Open-Source AI
- Jeffrey recounts moving from automotive electronics work in Detroit into open-source AI after stable diffusion's release.
- He taught himself, experimented on his gaming GPU, and joined a community to keep AI open and editable.
Open Source Sparked A Career Leap
- Jeffrey Quesnelle left his job to learn open-source AI after stable diffusion revealed a step change in capability.
- He emphasizes hands-on tinkering and the power of open code to accelerate breakthroughs.
Fund And Coordinate Training With Crypto Rails
- Use crypto rails to fund and decentralize AI training instead of relying on centralized capital sources.
- Combine permissionless coordination with distributed GPUs to enable large-scale, open training runs.
