Exploring AD4M - A social network engine for the new distributed web!
We are focusing on AD4M as a project as it is not your typical Holochain application (hApp) Project. It is a key framework to create collaboration between the various decentralised platforms (like Blockchain, IPFS, Holepunch etc). This is ground breaking!
AD4M (Agent-Centric Distributed Application Meta-ontology) is an open source, data interoperability framework for creating distributed social spaces. A data interoperability framework is a set of standards, protocols, and technologies which allow different systems and applications to communicate and exchange data in consistent ways.
AD4M supports the aggregation of collective data across applications, presenting it to end users in ways that allows them to benefit from making community themes, experiences and understanding visible. It enables users to have greater control over how and where their data is shared, enhancing privacy and agency.
One of AD4M's key features is its ability to support decentralised decision-making and community governance. To achieve this users choose what data they want to share with their group’s specific ‘collective knowledge graph’. Collective knowledge graphs, at their most simple, are shared databases of the people, places, things, or concepts within a group, and the relationships between them.
By storing this data on users' machines, grouped by communities and/or applications (instead of in remote data-centres) opportunities for collaboration and innovation appear. The current business model of most social media platforms relies on that same information being gathered and then, troublingly, selling it to advertisers and data brokers to exploit the users, while purposefully keeping it from them. AD4M flips this model on its head, giving control, agency and privacy back to the community so they can take advantage of it for themselves!
Each user can decide what parts of their data is shared to a private “Perspective”, (also known as a knowledge graph) and what’s shared with a group (known as a “Neighbourhood” in AD4M). AD4M can be used across multiple data sources including messages, to-do lists, social media, websites and external data sets to keep track of current trends and news. AD4M makes it possible for apps, which use the framework, to easily access this data and share it in a way that enables interoperability.
So, a hApp using AD4M could facilitate agent-centric, secure, group data governance, collation and analysis. Groups can privately share the knowledge of what’s valuable to them, in their specific context. They can generate more engaged and informed communities. And, groups are able to leverage their data assets more effectively; finding the sweet spot of capacity and capability to achieve their shared goals.
The first Holochain Application using AD4M is Flux. Since 2020, the Flux team has been integrating the AD4M framework to develop their Holochain-based social media platform. In April, 2023 AD4M, Flux and Perspect3vism merged. Together they will steward AD4M and complete the development of Flux. They facilitate making visible themes and patterns from within group data by revealing connections that might not be immediately apparent on their own.
AD4M is inspired and built to take advantage of Holochain but formalises the agent-centric concepts in a different, more abstract way. AD4M makes it possible to mix other technologies but requires the interface to be compatible with the agent-centric technology that Holochain pioneers. AD4M is a framework built around Holochain that makes all apps built with it (those who use Holochain and those who don't) interoperable.
When using Holochain the data is kept secure within the user group (DNA) without leaking into commercial data sets. Revealing and then feeding that data back into the community allows the group to upgrade their effectiveness based on real, specific, relevant insights.
AD4M facilitates the sharing of social data across networks of applications, platforms and community groups. Apps built on top of it add new ways for users to express and cohere, and new ways of visualising the data shared in that network in different (private, shared and public) spaces.
Here are some questions we had for Nicolas Luck, Inventor at AD4M.
Is AD4M a Holochain based Application?
“Yes, we use Holochain for AD4M's bootstrap Languages. Those are a few Languages that make the back-bone of the AD4M network.
Also, AD4M is clearly inspired and built for / around Holochain. But, AD4M formalises the agent-centric concepts of Holochain in a different, more abstract and thus more general octave. The result is that Languages don't need to use Holochain. AD4M makes it possible to mix other technologies in, but requires the interface to be congruent with the agent-centric distributed crypto tech that Holochain pioneers.”
How would other potential Holochain projects benefit from using the AD4M framework?
“It’s an easy way to build distributed apps. hApp Creators can focus only on the front-end and re-use the Holochain LinkLanguage we already have, so it’s not necessary to know how to write Holochain DNAs in order to use Holochain under the hood.”
Does AD4M use algorithms, bots or AI?
“Not sure how you mean "algorithms" - being a software program, it sure is ;) But if you mean statistical, or AI algorithms to select what data to show to users like other centralised social media, the answer is clearly no.
We are very much planning to integrate LLMs (Large Language Models/AI) with AD4M to enable:
having a natural language interface to all your local data
have users create Social DNA without needing them to be developers
We are aspiring to integrate a locally run LLM with AD4M to really draw from the fact that data of all AD4M apps is stored on the user's local device.”
How would AD4M/Flux like support?
“We want others to start building on AD4M. We're happy to help app devs quickly via chat and video call. (Contact them through their Discord Server.)
There’s lots of exciting work happening in the AD4M, FLUX and Perspect3vism projects. We’ll keep you updated with their news as their combined enterprise takes flight!
Here are other resources and links for AD4M:
Video: AD4M Explained in 12 minutes
Useful Links:
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Team Spotlight with Wesley Fink - Neighbourhoods Team Spotlight Video by Greg Cassel. “Learn more about Wesley who is a core developer on our team, building the sensemaker and applet template. In this fantastic session you'll get to know what brought Wesley into the Holochain space, and how his interests in social sensemaking and online communities collides with his electrical engineering and software development skills in his work at Neighbourhoods.”
IOEN - The board of Redgrid have made the difficult decision to begin the process of corporate dissolution. Redgrid was the for-profit Australian sister company of IOEN. After 5 years of building commercial peer to peer transactive energy ecosystems, the VC funding needed to further commercialise Redgrid has not emerged. As a commercial entity working with traditional players Redgrid was always ahead of its time. The two projects Redgrid are working on with local councils in Australia will be delivered by the end of June. IOEN, as the global not-for-profit, will continue to build the open source technology and are already actively engaging new partners and projects to further develop the protocol.
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