Kaa by Snek: Your Friendly AI Companion for Onboarding Masses and Enhancing Community Engagement

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Snek (Ronan Kuczaj)

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co-proposers and additional applicants

Matthew Hounslow (Developer)

KineticCode (Developer)

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

300000

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We will launch Kaa, Cardano's first AI-chatbot, leveraging on-chain data with community-driven insights, and integrated into Discord servers to offer continuous, tailored support to communities.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

No

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

Whilst we will be utilizing open-sourced and publicly available models at the heart of our AI service, the user interface, and back-end infrastructure will not be open-sourced. This gives the development team control over the development lifecycle, updates and feature rollout. This is also crucial to maintaining the security of our back-end, and upholding our usage policies.

[METADATA] SDG rating

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• Sub-goal 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, particularly developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.
• Sub-goal 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Sub-goal 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• Sub-goal 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard.

Our project aligns primarily with SDG 9 and SDG 10, focusing on sub-goals 9.5 and 9.c by fostering innovation and broadening access to information technology in the Cardano ecosystem. It also addresses sub-goals 10.2 and 10.3 by promoting inclusivity and reducing inequalities in financial technology access. By enhancing user experience and accessibility, we aim to create a more inclusive and empowered crypto community.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

TL;DR:

We’re introducing Kaa, an AI-driven onboarding solution tailored for the Cardano ecosystem. This solution combines a project management platform with a Discord bot, both supported by an advanced AI chat service. This platform enables users to actively manage, and input their project-specific data, which the AI uses to learn and adapt. By performing real-time on-chain data retrieval and generating context-aware responses, Kaa aims to simplify the onboarding process. The integration with Discord ensures that support to users is continuous and interactive, whilst facilitating community-driven customization and improvement.

Proposed solution:

Understanding the Problem

Crypto onboarding is complicated by jargon and technical barriers, compounded by the Cardano ecosystem's rapid evolution. This dynamic environment frequently leaves both newcomers and existing members struggling to access accurate, and contextually relevant information. This highlights a critical need for a 24/7 support solution that goes beyond traditional static FAQs, and what generalized AI services are able to provide. The community will benefit from a configurable, personalized, real-time information retrieval system that can keep pace with the continuous developments and complexities of the Cardano ecosystem.

Prototype

We have developed a prototype of Kaa, our AI chatbot, currently capable of responding to detailed inquiries about Snek, its history, and products. This prototype serves as a proof of concept, and has undergone initial QA, where it has successfully provided accurate, context-aware responses. We will use this prototype as the basis for further iterations that have been defined in this proposal.

Our Approach

Project Management Platform:

The web platform enables users to actively manage their project data by allowing them to upload, update, and delete information as needed. This serves as the basis for the AI chatbot service to provide context-rich responses to the communities using the service. The platform also serves as a gateway for downloading the Discord bot, which we are planning to make available directly in the Discord app store to streamline access.

AI Chatbot Service:

This service enables seamless interactions with the Discord bot when integrated in community servers, ensuring that user queries are met with accurate and timely answers. It performs the following tasks:

• Ingests new project information as it is updated by the platform, then processes it for contextual learning by our Large Language Model (LLM). There are more advanced techniques in conjunction with Retrieval Augmented Generation that we will explore to ensure the service can deliver precise, and context-rich responses.
• Agentic workflows allowing for querying of real-time on-chain Cardano data. These workflows can be extended to allow for execution of other tools / integrations such as searching, using internal tools, and querying against other APIs (TapTools, BlockFrost etc).
• API for the discord bot to perform its functions, such as answering questions about the Cardano ecosystem, on-chain data, and related to projects that have provided information to the platform.

Discord Integration:

Many of Cardano’s projects are leveraging Discord to communicate with their communities. Our bot can be easily integrated into a community’s server, enabling direct engagement with users. Users will be able to interact with the AI discord bot, ask questions, and use its features.

We will build a feedback mechanism into the bot, which collects user inputs to form a continuous loop of improvement. This feedback is essential for refining, and enhancing the bot's capabilities beyond the initial MVP, ensuring that the service evolves in response to community needs.

Target Audience

Our solution is designed to cater to a wide range of participants within the Cardano ecosystem, including developers, investors, general enthusiasts, and newcomers. It is beneficial for project owners who need to effectively disseminate and manage complex information about their projects and engage with their communities. Additionally, the bot serves as a versatile tool for answering general questions about the Cardano ecosystem, and its complexities, making it a comprehensive resource for all users seeking clarity and insight.

Demonstrating Impact

The effectiveness of the chatbot will be demonstrated through:

• Engagement Metrics: Tracking the number of interactions, user retention rates, and satisfaction surveys.
• Feedback Collection: Implementing a system for users to provide feedback directly through the Discord bot, allowing continuous improvement.

Uniqueness and Importance

Our solution combines a Project Management Platform with an AI chatbot, seamlessly integrated into community Discord servers. This enables dynamic data handling and intelligent response capabilities, allowing users to manage information and receive tailored, context-aware insights about their specific projects as well as the broader Cardano ecosystem. With agentic workflows we see a lot of potential for more complex integrations in the future via the bot, depending on evolving community needs.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Impact Overview

Our project enhances the onboarding experience for newcomers by providing on-demand support in the form of answering a variety of question-types about Cardano, its projects,  and on-chain data. This combined with the potential for the integration of more complex workflows depending on community needs allows for customized full-time support for our communities. This initiative aims to improve the quality, accessibility, and relevance of information available for the entire Cardano community.

Measuring Impact

1. Engagement Metrics: Track user engagement with the chatbot by monitoring:

• Number of documents: Number of documents being managed by the platform.
• User retention rates: Percentage of returning users over time.
• Frequency of API calls: How often the Project Integration Platform is accessed, indicating the reliance on the system for information retrieval.

1. Usage Statistics of Discord Bots: To evaluate the bots' effectiveness in enhancing community communication and project engagement, we'll measure:

• Installations: Number of times the bot is added to new servers.
• Active users: Daily or monthly active users interacting with the bot.
• Interactions: Number of interactions with the discord bots

Sharing Outputs and Opportunities

• Community Updates: Progress and achievements will be regularly shared through social media platforms to keep the community informed and engaged.
• Open Access Tools: The platform will be accessible to all users within the Cardano community. Comprehensive documentation, and user guides will be available to ensure ease of use and broad adoption.
• Collaborative Engagements: By partnering with other Cardano projects, we can integrate our tools with wider community initiatives, maximizing the impact and utility of our solution.

Value to the Cardano Community

The success of our project will bring value to the Cardano community by:

• Enhancing the onboarding experience, and general access to information: Making accurate and up-to-date information easily accessible will empower community members to make better-informed decisions.
• Promoting Community Engagement: By providing tools that facilitate easier communication and information sharing, we encourage more active participation across the ecosystem.
• Supporting Continuous Improvement and Innovation: Feedback mechanisms and data-driven insights gathered from the project will guide continuous improvements, fostering innovation within the community.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Snek Expertise:

• Created the most traded token on Cardano
• Fostered one of the largest communities on Cardano
• Delivered several products (web2 and web3)
• Created several partnerships with high-profile projects and ecosystem figures
• Great understanding of the market
• Powerful brand and marketing strategy

Development Team Expertise:

Our development team brings together extensive experience and a diverse skill set crucial for developing sophisticated solutions in the crypto space. The team's combined capabilities include:

• Expertise in automating and optimizing data pipelines, deploying scalable serverless systems, and leading DevOps initiatives to ensure robust infrastructure.
• Strong background in artificial intelligence, with skills in machine learning and deep neural networks, honed through work in defense, financial services, and healthcare sectors. This experience is pivotal for handling complex datasets and building advanced AI-driven analytics.
• Significant experience in designing intuitive, user-centric applications that enhance user engagement and simplify complex processes. This aspect is crucial for ensuring that our solutions are not only powerful, but also accessible and easy to use by a broad audience.
• The team's extensive technical knowledge spans system architecture, AI analytics, and user interface design, enabling them to create innovative solutions that improve the crypto onboarding experience through intelligent automation and responsive design.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Project Management Platform

Outputs:

• A website that allows users to upload their project-specific information.
• User authentication flow (e.g using Discord login)
• User interface for file management and interaction.

Acceptance Criteria:

• The website must support user registration, and login.
• Users can upload and manage their project information.
• The website should be compatible with major browsers and mobile-responsive.

Evidence of Completion:

• Demonstration of website features through a video walkthrough.
• Security audit results confirming data protection standards.

Expected Duration:

2 months

Chatbot Service / Data Pipeline

Outputs:

• A backend pipeline that processes uploaded information, and generates retrievable embeddings.
• Agentic workflow allowing for querying of Cardano on-chain data.
• Database setup for storing embeddings and project-specific data.
• Integration of the retrieval system with the AI model.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Successful extraction and storage of embeddings from uploaded document data.
• Efficient retrieval of information for AI processing.
• System performance benchmarks meet predefined specs for speed and accuracy.

Evidence of Completion:

• System performance report detailing benchmarks and testing outcomes.
• Code review and deployment logs.

Expected Duration:

2 months

Discord Bot Integration

Outputs:

• A functional Discord bot that can interface with the chatbot service to deliver project-specific, and Cardano-specific Q&A services.
• Features allowing users to interact with the bot within Discord to ask questions and receive answers.
• Ability to provide feedback through the bot service.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Bot successfully connects to APIs, and responds to user queries.
• Accurate retrieval of information based on the project-specific data loaded by the user.
• User feedback mechanism integrated into the bot.

Evidence of Completion:

• Video demo of the bot functionality.
• User feedback and usage statistics report.

Expected Duration:

1 month

Project Documentation

Outputs:

• Detailed documentation on how to use the website, the Discord bot, and the overall system.
• FAQs and troubleshooting guides for end-users.
• Developer documentation for future updates or third-party integration.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Documentation covers all features and functions of the website and Discord bot.
• Documentation is accessible online and downloadable in PDF format.
• Clear, concise, and free of technical jargon where possible.

Evidence of Completion:

• Links to online documentation.
• Sample downloadable PDF document of the full documentation.

Expected Duration:

0.5 months

Final Project Close-out Report and Video

Outputs:

• Comprehensive project report summarizing the development process, challenges faced, and solutions implemented.
• A video showcasing the project's capabilities, and user testimonials.

Acceptance Criteria:

• The report will include performance analytics, user adoption rates, and future roadmap if applicable.
• The video should highlight key features and demonstrate user interaction with the system.

Evidence of Completion:

• Final project close-out report available for review.
• Promotional content published on the project’s website.

Expected Duration:

0.5 months

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Project Team Composition

Matthew Hounslow

• Role: Developer
• Expertise:
• Leadership of Data Engineering and DevOps teams, focusing on automation of data pipelines, development of event detection systems, and predictive modeling.
• Leadership in developing both internal and external APIs used large customer bases.
• Significant involvement in DevOps practices, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and automated API documentation, enhancing operational standards and developer productivity.
• Experience in full-stack software development, creating user-focused web applications and observability systems.
• Responsibilities:
• Development of the Project Management Platform.
• Development of the Data Pipeline.
• Development of the Discord Bot.
• Oversight of Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD).
• Create and maintain project documentation.
• In charge of cloud services, backend and frontend development and documentation
• Socials
• Linkedin
• Github
• Twitter

KineticCode

• Role: Developer / AI Researcher
• Expertise:
• Pioneer in advanced AI applications and machine learning, with extensive experience in defense, financial services, and healthcare.
• Leadership in developing customer-centric technology platforms, integrating machine learning, NLP, and data architecture.
• Spearheaded knowledge graph technology projects for rapid text annotation and developed bespoke Q/A systems for confidential data.
• Expert in multi-GPU training of closed system LLMs and implementation of neural search technologies.
• Responsibilities:
• Development of the Project Management Platform.
• Architecture and optimization of the Data Pipeline.
• Development of the Discord Bot.
• Create and maintain project documentation.
• In charge of cloud services, backend and frontend development and documentation
• Socials:
• Twitter

SNEK Team

• Socials
• Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/snek 
• Website: https://www.snek.com/
• Core contributors
• Goofycrisp (https://twitter.com/goofy_crisp )
• MrGoldenhour (https://twitter.com/golden_Rapha )
• Rami (https://twitter.com/CardanoRami )
• Sal (https://twitter.com/Salmander0 )
• MasterofC (https://twitter.com/MasterofCTO )
• Max Maher (https://twitter.com/Maxwell_Maher )
• Responsibilities:
• Marketing and content creation.
• Strategic execution of go-to-market plans.
• Management of sales pipeline and CRM.
• Business development and cultivation of partnerships.
• Expansion of collaborations with key Cardano projects and crypto KOLs.
• Engagement with projects from other blockchain ecosystems, primarily SOL and ETH.
• In charge of UI/UX design, legal professional services, marketing and promotion and project management

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

• UI/UX Design: 20,000 ADA
• Cloud Services: 50,000 ADA
• Backend and Frontend Development : 130,000 ADA
• Legal Professional Services: 20,000 ADA
• Marketing and Promotion: 15,000 ADA
• Documentation: 10,000 ADA
• Project management: 25,000 ADA
• Miscellaneous and Contingency: 30,000 ADA

Total Budget: ₳300,000

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The budget for our AI-driven onboarding solution is calculated to ensure the most efficient use of resources while delivering maximum impact to the Cardano ecosystem. At ₳300,000, the funding requested is aligned with the substantial technological development, computational costs, marketing and deployment efforts required to launch this platform.

Comprehensive Coverage:

The budget covers all critical areas needed for successful project execution, including UI/UX design, cloud services, computational costs, legal services, marketing, and a contingency for unforeseen challenges. This ensures the project can progress without financial interruptions that could compromise quality or timelines.

Value to the Cardano Community: 

By enhancing the onboarding experience and facilitating better community interaction, we intend to drive greater adoption and engagement within the Cardano ecosystem. This will contribute to the overall growth and sustainability of the ecosystem, representing a significant return on investment for the Cardano community.

Additional Financial Efficiency: 

We aim to maximize cost efficiency through strategic planning, and resource allocation. This includes using open-source technologies where feasible, and ensuring that all expenditures directly contribute to project milestones and outputs.

Our project represents excellent value for money by combining competitive rates with a clear and direct contribution to the Cardano onboarding experience, and its community growth. The planned expenditures are aligned with industry standards, and are specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of a blockchain-based AI project.