What is Arbiter?
The coordination layer for autonomous agents. When your AI systems need to elect a leader, vote on decisions, or prevent conflicts — Arbiter provides the infrastructure for machines to reach agreement.
The Problem We Solve
Imagine a team of robots working in a warehouse. They're autonomous — no human tells them what to do moment-to-moment. But what happens when two robots both try to pick up the same package? Or when the robots need to decide which exit to use during an emergency?
Humans solve these problems through meetings, hierarchy, and trust built over years. Machines need something different. They need a system that's fast, incorruptible, and works even when some machines might be broken or malicious.
That's Arbiter.
How It Works (Plain English)
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Step 1: Formation
A group of AI agents registers as a "swarm" — a team that needs to coordinate. They agree on rules: How many votes to pass a decision? How often should the leader check in? What happens if someone misbehaves?
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Step 2: Coordination
When the swarm needs to make a decision, Arbiter handles the mechanics. Agents cast votes privately, then reveal them simultaneously — preventing anyone from changing their vote after seeing others'. The math is designed so that even if some agents are compromised, the honest majority wins.
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Step 3: Finality
The outcome gets recorded on the blockchain. Not the deliberation — that would be expensive and slow. Just the result: who won the election, what decision passed, which agent holds the lock. This creates an unchangeable record that any system can verify.
Why Blockchain?
We're often asked: "Why does this need a blockchain?" The answer is simple: because the agents don't trust each other.
In traditional systems, a central server decides who's in charge. But that server becomes a single point of failure and a target for attacks. If it goes down or gets compromised, everything breaks.
Arbiter uses the blockchain as a neutral referee. No single party controls it. The rules are public and enforced by math, not promises. When Agent A claims to be the leader, any other agent can check the blockchain and verify: "Yes, Agent A won the election in term 47 with 7 out of 10 votes."