
NEAR, a prominent blockchain platform focused on artificial intelligence, has announced the immediate availability of its AI models directly within web browsers. The update signifies a move towards more accessible and interactive AI tools, allowing users to engage with NEAR's AI capabilities without requiring complex setups.
The announcement, made via a tweet from the official "near" account, highlighted a distinctive feature: > "we let our AIs tell you you're absolutely wrong please say hi to them, now IN BROWSER!" This suggests the AI is designed to provide critical feedback or challenge user input, fostering a more rigorous interaction. The tweet also offered a free month subscription to users who respond, indicating a promotional launch.
NEAR positions itself as "The Blockchain for AI," providing the foundational execution layer for AI-native applications. Its platform enables AI agents to manage assets, make decisions, and conduct transactions across various networks, emphasizing an open AI economy where AI serves individuals rather than solely corporate systems. The "in browser" functionality enhances this vision by making powerful AI models more readily available for direct user interaction.
The platform's AI stack includes protocols, compute, and infrastructure for running autonomous agents, supporting encrypted model execution and verifiable compute. By bringing these capabilities directly into the browser, NEAR aims to simplify the user experience and reduce friction often associated with blockchain and AI technologies. This development aligns with a broader industry trend of integrating AI directly into browser environments, as seen with other AI-powered browsers and features.
Developers leveraging NEAR AI can access a range of open-source models, including Llama, Qwen, Deepseek, and Stable Diffusion, for tasks such as chat completions, image creation, and function calling. The new in-browser access is expected to broaden the reach of these models, allowing for more immediate experimentation and application by a wider audience. This move underscores NEAR's commitment to creating a user-friendly ecosystem where AI can operate with greater autonomy and accessibility.