Stable Horde

AI Horde stands out in the distributed image generation space by allowing users to access powerful AI models through a platform that manages the computational load across multiple worker nodes. This article explores how AI Horde operates, including its unique features like the Kudos credit system, worker participation model, and comprehensive content moderation approach. The ecosystem extends beyond basic image generation, supporting integration with popular art software and maintaining strict privacy standards while preventing harmful content.

Introduction to the AI Horde Platform

AI Horde operates as a distributed computing platform that enables users to generate and edit images through stable diffusion and KoboldAI models. Requestors submit prompts to the Horde, which prioritizes them based on Kudos balance - a system of credits earned through various activities. The platform supports multiple software environments via plugins and bots, including GIMP, Krita, Unreal Engine, and Photoshop.

Distributed Architecture

The AI Horde employs a bridge software to distribute available jobs among workers, who typically maintain mid-range or higher GPUs. These workers generate images and submit results back to the central system while maintaining anonymity through non-storage of requestor IDs or IPs. The Horde supports running workers inside Docker containers and has implemented command-line interface features for image generation, text generation, and image alchemy.

Worker Participation and Rewards

Workers earn Kudos credits for completing image generation tasks and maintaining online status. The system allows workers to prioritize their own requests and those of specific friends while providing options to pause services for maintenance. Kudos costs have been reduced across the board with recent updates, particularly for high-resolution images.

Development and Integration

The platform offers community plugins for software like GIMP, Krita, Unreal Engine, Automatic1111, Blender, and Photoshop. Additionally, the AI Horde provides official bots for Discord and Telegram, as well as a Chrome accessibility plugin for generating descriptive text for images. The system also supports OAuth connections for account registration and management through services like Google, Discord, and GitHub.

Worker System and Kudos Economics

The AI Horde system prioritizes requests based on each worker's available Kudos balance, encouraging sustained participation. When multiple generations are available for a single request, the platform distributes these across different workers to ensure consistent service levels.

Worker compensation is based on a neural network that calculates kudos costs for each generation, using a baseline of 10 kudos for a standard 50-step 512x512 image. These costs account for image complexity and processing time, with double-time requests valued at 20 kudos. Additional fees include a 1 kudos tax per request and job, a 20% burn fee for exclusive fast-worker requests, and a 10% burn fee for blacklisted worker requests.

The system rewards workers for various activities beyond direct image generation. These include running alchemists (image interrogation processes), rating images, fulfilling bounties on the Discord forum, subscribing to Patreon for development support, sharing cool art on Discord, and maintaining online status for 10-minute periods that generate Kudos. The platform explicitly prohibits selling or exchanging Kudos, maintaining them as an inherently valueless system.

Workers participate through diverse means, including running local software like GIMP, Krita, and Photoshop, or utilizing official AI Horde bots for Discord and Telegram. Through community plugins and shared tools, the ecosystem extends beyond basic image generation, supporting a wide array of creative workflows.

Content Safety and Moderation

The AI Horde employs a multi-layered approach to content moderation, combining worker-based censorship with AI-driven filtering systems. When an image request enters the system, it undergoes a private regex filter that checks for "Underage" and "Lewd" contexts. The filter operates in two modes: replacement, which attempts to generate safer content by replacing triggering terms with "adult" versions when prompt length is under 1000 characters, and blocking, which automatically prevents requests with both contexts when prompt length exceeds 1000 characters or when replacement filtering is disabled.

Worker-based censorship adds another layer of content control, with individual workers maintaining censorlists that automatically apply NSFW censorship using dedicated AI models if any restricted terms are detected in a prompt. Additional protection comes from an AI-powered anti-CSAM filter that operates through a regex-based system, capable of replacing triggering terms with "adult" versions or blocking requests entirely. This comprehensive approach prioritizes the detection and prevention of CSAM content while maintaining an open environment for other forms of image generation.

The platform maintains strict privacy standards, using OAuth connections for account registration while storing minimal personal information. Each user's ID number is recorded for OAuth2 provider connection purposes only, with no other identifying details retained. Data storage is kept to a minimum, serving solely to provide and protect online services, and all personal data processing is governed by Recital 49 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Users retain significant control over their data, with rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, lodge objections, and request data portability.

Integration with Art Software and Tools

The AI Horde platform has established detailed compatibility with various software environments through a variety of integration methods.

Community-developed plugins enable direct functionality within popular art software:

• GIMP: The blueturtleai/gimp-stable-diffusion plugin integrates stable diffusion capabilities into the GIMP workflow.

• Krita: The dunkeroni/krita-stable-horde plugin extends Krita's functionality with AI-generated imagery tools.

• Unreal Engine: The Mystfit/Unreal-StableDiffusionTools plugin bridges Unreal Engine with AI Horde generation capabilities.

• Automatic1111: The natanjunges/stable-diffusion-webui-stable-horde integration extends Automatic1111's capabilities with Horde support.

• Blender: The benrugg/AI-Render plugin adds AI Horde generation to Blender's suite of tools.

Privacy and Data Policy

The AI Horde handles user data through OAuth connections while maintaining strict privacy policies. The company records user ID numbers for OAuth2 provider connections without storing any other identifying information, using this data solely for connecting the OAuth provider to the AI Horde account. This approach meets legal requirements under Recital 49 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) while enabling account registration and management.

Users retain significant control over their data through various legal rights established under GDPR. These include the right to access and inspect their personal data, request corrections or deletions, restrict processing activities, object to certain uses of their data, and request data portability. The company maintains minimal data retention practices, keeping Usage Data for internal analysis while using shorter retention periods for security-related information or when legally required to retain data for longer periods.

Data protection extends to account management and security protocols. The system securely handles user information while preventing unauthorized access through OAuth connections and limited data storage. No tracking technologies or cookies are used in the system's operations, maintaining privacy standards throughout user interactions.