Question 1

What is SAPIEN?

Accepted Answer

SAPIEN is the ERC-20 token used by Sapien on the Base network and the asset used in its Vault and Proof of Quality (PoQ) validation economic model. It is not itself a credential for AI work quality; PoQ is the process that records a validation result for a given AI work item as verifiable on-chain proof. SAPIEN should be understood across two levels: tokens can be deposited into the Vault to create shares, and participants can use matured shares as collateral when they voluntarily take part in validation. Whether a particular work item meets quality requirements is determined by PoQ's independent validation and consensus process.

Question 2

How is SAPIEN used in the Sapien ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

SAPIEN's core use is entering the Sapien Vault and minting corresponding vSAPIEN shares; vSAPIEN represents shares of the SAPIEN assets in the Vault. Simply holding SAPIEN does not automatically participate in validation or automatically create collateral obligations. When a user chooses to participate in validation work, matured vSAPIEN can then be locked as collateral. This layered design separates ordinary deposits, share holding, and validation collateral: Vault shares come first, and only actively locked shares enter economic constraints related to validation outcomes.

Question 3

What is vSAPIEN, and how does it relate to SAPIEN?

Accepted Answer

vSAPIEN is the share token received after depositing SAPIEN into the Sapien Vault, representing the holder's proportional interest in the SAPIEN assets in the Vault. It is not another independent project token, but a share representation produced by the deposit action. This share representation links Vault assets with user holdings and provides the vehicle for later voluntary locking as validation collateral. Users cannot infer from holding vSAPIEN alone that they have participated in validation: participation also depends on separately locking matured shares.

Question 4

When can shares be transferred, withdrawn, or redeemed after depositing into the Vault?

Accepted Answer

After SAPIEN is deposited into the Vault, the relevant deposit must mature for 24 hours; only after that period can shares generally be transferred, withdrawn, or redeemed according to protocol rules. The 24 hours are an operational prerequisite specified by the Vault terms, not the automatic activation time for validation collateral. Operations should also distinguish the protocol meanings of “transferring shares,” “withdrawing assets from the Vault,” and “redeeming”: all require the maturity period, but the actually available paths and outcomes are subject to the applicable Vault contracts and terms. If shares have separately been locked as validation collateral, the conditions of that lock must be met first.

Question 5

How is validation collateral activated, and when does risk arise?

Accepted Answer

Validation collateral is voluntary: holding SAPIEN or depositing it into the Vault does not automatically expose shares to slashing. Participants must actively lock matured vSAPIEN before those shares are used to support their validation work. The risk after locking comes from the validation process rather than from an ordinary deposit itself. If the relevant work fails protocol checks, protocol rules may slash the locked shares; Vault shares not locked as collateral do not automatically enter this slashing scope because of another person's or the holder's own validation work.

Question 6

How does Proof of Quality validate AI work?

Accepted Answer

PoQ turns judgments about AI work quality into a traceable validation process: validators review work against pre-established standards, the system aggregates review scores and forms consensus, and the result is then made into on-chain proof. The on-chain proof records information such as the object evaluated, the standards used, and the degree of agreement, enabling later viewers to verify how the quality judgment was formed. It does not guarantee that an AI output is correct in every scenario; rather, it provides evidence that the work was reviewed under the applicable validation procedure.

Question 7

How do SAPIEN supply, allocation, and vesting affect circulation?

Accepted Answer

SAPIEN has a fixed total supply of 1 billion tokens. A fixed total describes the cap; it does not mean all tokens have entered market circulation. Actual tradable supply is also affected by the lockup and vesting arrangements of each allocation category. Official tokenomics materials list allocation categories including protocol development participants and contributor incentives, and provide lockups and linear releases for investor, team, and advisor allocations. During linear vesting, the related allocations are progressively unlocked under the prescribed schedule, so analysis of circulation changes should consider allocation vesting alongside the 1 billion total.

Question 8

What is the relationship between the Vault, validation collateral, and PoQ?

Accepted Answer

Vault shares, validation collateral, and PoQ address different matters: the Vault represents deposited SAPIEN as vSAPIEN shares; validation collateral places voluntary participants under economic constraints for their validation work; and PoQ produces quality proof formed through independent review and consensus. Their sequence of connection is as follows: users first deposit and receive shares, then may choose to lock matured shares to participate in validation; the validation process then reaches results under PoQ standards. Therefore, depositing into the Vault does not mean validation has been completed, nor does it mean a validation reward will necessarily be generated or received.

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