Proof of Sampling: A Nash Equilibrium-Based Verification Protocol for Decentralized Systems

TL;DR

This paper presents the Proof of Sampling (PoSP), a Nash Equilibrium-based verification protocol that ensures honest participation in decentralized systems, improving efficiency and reliability over existing cryptographic methods.

Contribution

The paper introduces PoSP, a novel verification protocol with a pure strategy Nash Equilibrium, applicable to decentralized machine learning inference and other decentralized applications.

Findings

PoSP has a pure strategy Nash Equilibrium.

PoSP is more efficient than zero knowledge proof approaches.

PoSP can be applied to various decentralized verification tasks.

Abstract

This paper introduces the Proof of Sampling (PoSP) protocol, a Nash Equilibrium-based verification mechanism, and its application to decentralized machine learning inference through spML. Our protocol has a pure strategy Nash Equilibrium, compelling rational participants to act honestly. It economically disincentivizes dishonest behavior, making it costly for participants to compromise the network's integrity. In our spML protocol, we apply PoSP to decentralized inference for AI applications via a novel cryptographic protocol. The resulting protocol is much more efficient than zero knowledge proof based approaches. Moreover, we anticipate that the PoSP protocol could be effectively utilized for designing verification mechanisms within Actively Validated Services (AVS) in restaking solutions. We further expect that the PoSP protocol could be applied to a variety of other decentralized applications. Our approach enhances the reliability and efficiency of decentralized systems, paving the way for a new generation of decentralized applications.