arXiv · 2610.17546
FLAI Protocol: Decentralized Federated Learning with On-Chain Rewards and sPEG-Based Contribution Scoring
Abstract
Federated learning (FL) enables collaborative model training without data centralization but struggles with incentive alignment, accountability, and robustness under heterogeneous non-IID data. Existing decentralized FL (DeFL) systems leverage blockchains for coordination yet face high on-chain overhead, unverifiable self-reports, and weak fairness guarantees. We present the FLAI Protocol, a trusted execution environment (TEE)-backed DeFL framework that integrates enclave-validated aggregation, sparse Peer Evaluation Graph (sPEG) scoring, and on-chain settlement. sPEG incorporates peer-based quality, class coverage, promptness, effort, and reputation into composite contribution scores. The protocol formalizes contribution evaluation and tokenized incentive distribution, ensuring verifiable fairness and resilience against free-riding and collusion. We evaluate FLAI on image, text, and healthcare datasets and demonstrate parity with FedAvg in utility while improving fairness and accountability. A case study in consumer eHealth (aggregating wearable and electronic health record data for real-world evidence generation) illustrates the protocol's applicability to privacy-critical domains where equitable rewards, auditability, and data sovereignty are essential.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Eli Yune, Mahesh Balan. 2026-10-13. FLAI Protocol: Decentralized Federated Learning with On-Chain Rewards and sPEG-Based Contribution Scoring. https://doi.org/10.1109/icce67443.2026.11449597
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.