Latest news with #DAOs
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Future Of Companies In Web3 And Decentralized World
Ashish Chopra is CIO at TDECU. AI Meets DAOs: How Artificial Intelligence Will Supercharge the Future of Decentralized Organizations Imagine a global organization that runs without a CEO, raises money without banks and makes decisions based on thousands of token-holder votes—all executed automatically by code with a human at the center of it. Now imagine it has an AI co-pilot that analyzes proposals, prevents fraud, ensures regulatory compliance, allocates capital intelligently and evolves on its own. That's the future we're heading toward: DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations), supercharged by artificial intelligence (AI). As someone who's worked inside agentic AI-native banking and is a blockchain contributor, advisor and builder, I've seen the raw power and glaring limitations of decentralized governance. DAOs represent a radical departure from hierarchical corporations. But they're still missing something critical: intelligence. The kind that helps make sense of complexity, mitigates risk and scales trust. That's where AI comes in. The Promise Of DAOs And Their Growing Pains DAOs are blockchain-native entities that rely on smart contracts and token-holder voting to operate. From venture capital to public goods funding, they've reimagined what it means to build, govern and invest collectively. Today, DAOs manage over $16.9 billion in assets, with more than 50,000 active organizations and millions of participants worldwide. And yet, many DAOs suffer from decision fatigue, coordination chaos and shallow voter participation. Governance forums are flooded with jargon-heavy proposals. Treasury allocations often lack due diligence. Scams still find loopholes. Despite these hurdles, the mission remains powerful: DAOs enable permissionless, global collaboration. But to fulfill their potential, they need better tools for judgment, foresight and automation. That's exactly what AI can deliver. Where AI Supercharges DAOs DAOs face a deluge of governance proposals, many poorly written or redundant. AI can act as a filtering and summarization engine—ranking proposals based on community values, precedent and potential impact. Large language models (LLMs) can draft proposal summaries, identify regulatory red flags and even suggest improvements in real time. Think of AI as the first layer of 'governance quality control,' improving both efficiency and clarity before proposals even reach voters. Many DAOs hold multimillion-dollar treasuries, but few have the financial modeling sophistication of traditional asset managers. AI can analyze portfolio risk, optimize token allocations, simulate cash flow under different scenarios and flag anomalies in treasury activity. In essence, AI can give DAOs the equivalent of a 24/7 CFO—only one that's unbiased, always on and continuously learning. DAOs struggle with member engagement. AI-driven onboarding bots can tailor educational journeys for new contributors, match talent to open roles and track member contributions across platforms. Reputation scores—long discussed in DAO circles—can be managed more fairly and dynamically using AI. By embedding intelligence into participation, DAOs can turn passive token holders into active citizens. Security remains a top concern. AI-powered auditing tools can scan smart contracts for vulnerabilities before deployment, flag suspicious wallet activity and monitor governance outcomes for signs of collusion or sybil attacks. As DAOs become stewards of real assets (land, capital, IP), this layer of defense will be essential. Looking ahead, AI won't just assist DAOs—it could participate in them. Autonomous AI agents could propose initiatives, vote based on programmed values or sentiment analysis or even represent stakeholders who choose to delegate their governance rights. Imagine an investment DAO where an AI agent proposes promising early-stage projects, defends its case with data and helps optimize exit timing. This isn't science fiction—it's already being prototyped. Why This Matters For Capital Markets The convergence of AI and DAOs will reshape how capital is raised, allocated and governed. DAOs already challenge the norms of venture funding, IPOs and corporate ownership. Adding AI to the mix takes it a step further: from decentralized to intelligent capital formation: This is especially powerful in underserved markets where traditional funding is scarce. A DAO, equipped with AI, can become a globally accessible VC fund, grant program or public goods allocator—with less bias, more reach and greater transparency. Legal Infrastructure Still Needs To Catch Up Even as technology races ahead, regulation is still lagging. U.S. states like Wyoming, Tennessee and Utah have introduced legal frameworks for DAOs, but they don't yet address the AI layer. Who is responsible for decisions made by an autonomous AI agent? What rights does a synthetic governance participant have? These questions may seem esoteric today, but they'll be center stage tomorrow. We'll need new governance frameworks—not just for DAOs but for AI-augmented organizations where lines between human and machine blur. Final Thoughts The synergy between AI and DAOs is not just a tech upgrade—it's a transformation. We're moving from decentralized coordination to intelligent, adaptive systems that can manage capital, make decisions and evolve continuously. Yes, there are risks: AI bias, over-automation and governance theater. But there's also enormous promise. In a world that increasingly demands transparency, inclusivity and speed, AI-powered DAOs might just be the operating system we've been waiting for. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Proof of Personhood: Inside the companies reinventing digital identity for Web3
Proof of Personhood: Inside the companies reinventing digital identity for Web3 originally appeared on TheStreet. You don't notice identity until it fails. Until the login doesn't work, the KYC flags, or the system freezes because some server in some jurisdiction doesn't recognize you. That's the problem decentralized identity is trying to erase. The crux of decentralized identity (DID) is about who controls verification. Today, identity flows through banks, governments, and platforms that monetize your data in exchange for access. DID flips it. Credentials become portable. Verification happens cryptographically. You own your proofs. You disclose only what you choose to disclose. Nothing more. The implications run deep. Compliance, finance, healthcare, AI, cross-border commerce — none of it scales without trust. And right now, trust is centralized, fractured, and increasingly fragile. Fraud is accelerating. Synthetic identities are cheap to manufacture. Verification costs are rising. Regulators know it. Enterprises know it. DID offers a quiet exit ramp. Backend scaffolding for identity is coming together, locking into place. Composable frameworks slotting into banks, SaaS platforms, DAOs, and government stacks. Silent infrastructure. Open rails. No token games. Just trust, rebuilt from first principles. And as tokenized capital markets accelerate, as AI agents start executing on behalf of humans, as decentralized systems mature, identity becomes paramount. Let's take a look at 3 companies currently navigating the sector. Proving you're human shouldn't mean handing over your life. Civic builds verification without the data drain. 'As digital identity experts, our goal is to give people more control over their identities,' says CEO Chris Hart. 'We provide businesses with tools that give people more consent over what information they're sharing.' With over one million Civic Pass credentials issued, users verify themselves by completing a CAPTCHA or video selfie — no passports, no government IDs. 'We work hard to ensure portability and reusability of credentials across chains and applications,' Hart says. The problem Civic is solving is only getting worse: AI-generated fraud. Bots mimicking humans, infiltrating systems. 'This is important because bad actors sometimes use AI pretending to be human in order to commit fraud,' adds Hart. Instead of over-collecting data, Civic strips verification down to its core. 'Civic Pass allows businesses to check for humanity instead of requiring an ID document, which allows a transaction to proceed with a minimal amount of information exchanged,' the CEO highlights. Less data exposure. Same outcome. The way identity should work in Web3. SPACE ID has locked in over 6.7 million domains across BNB, Arbitrum, Ethereum, and Story Protocol — but it's not just slinging vanity handles. Every domain is wired for function. 'Everyone's talking about identity. We're building the infrastructure,' says SPACE ID CEO Alice Shikova. Payment ID makes wallet spaghetti obsolete. Payment ID makes sending crypto as easy as @yourname. You want yourname@bybit? That's your address. Cross-wallet, cross-exchange, no more copy-paste roulette. And with MetaMask Snap integration, domain-based payments slot directly into Web3's most widely used wallet. 'We're not just handing out vanity tags. We're building the most usable, interoperable, agent-ready ID system in Web3,' Shikova says. While others chase scale, SPACE ID's chasing surface area: 'SPACE ID isn't just scaling up—we're scaling out. Our strategy is horizontal expansion: more chains, more use cases, more utility. Why? Because real adoption comes from utility, not hype,' Shikova continues. Already embedded across 200+ dApps, the next phase fuses AI into the stack: 'We're fusing DeFAI by giving AI agents and AI services the infrastructure they currently lack—names, payment rails, and seamless execution. That's what we're actively exploring and building,' Shikova underlines. WALT ID has been in the game early — open-source, all-in-one infrastructure powering governments, enterprises, and over 20,000 developers worldwide. ' has been among the first companies in the decentralized identity space and built a powerful, all-in-one open-source infrastructure used by more than 20,000 developers as well as governments and businesses around the globe,' says CEO Dominik Beron. While others obsess over compliance checklists, WALT ID took a developer-first approach. 'While everyone is looking to build holistic, standard and regulatory compliant solutions (we do all that too), one of the things that makes us unique is our open-source strategy,' Beron adds. It's infrastructure, not an app. A platform for builders: 'We are building a development platform — infrastructure for dev and product teams — to power large organizations and new SaaS platforms and services,' Beron underscores. SDKs. APIs. Full composability. WALT ID's stack lets governments, enterprises, and startups deploy credential-based identity without vendor lock-in. Quietly becoming the scaffolding everyone else builds on. Proof of Personhood: Inside the companies reinventing digital identity for Web3 first appeared on TheStreet on Jun 26, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared. Sign in to access your portfolio
Coin Geek
03-06-2025
- Business
- Coin Geek
BSV: Powering decentralized voting systems
Homepage > News > Business > BSV: Powering decentralized voting systems Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... In an era where trust in electoral processes and governance systems is increasingly fragile, the need for transparent, secure, and verifiable voting mechanisms has never been more critical. BSV, a blockchain designed to scale and fulfill Satoshi Nakamoto's vision of a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, offers a groundbreaking solution for decentralized voting systems. By leveraging its immutable ledger, high transaction throughput, and low-cost transactions, BSV can revolutionize voting—from global elections to niche micro-democracies like decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and local cooperatives. This article explores how BSV addresses the challenges of traditional voting systems, its unique advantages for niche voting applications, and its potential to reshape democratic processes. The crisis in traditional voting systems Traditional voting systems, whether paper-based or electronic, face persistent vulnerabilities; centralized databases are prone to hacking, as seen in the 2016 U.S. election interference concerns, while paper ballots can be lost, manipulated, or miscounted. Transparency is often lacking, with citizens unable to independently verify results. In niche contexts like corporate governance or community organizations, inefficiencies in vote tallying and disputes over legitimacy further erode trust. There is a growing public demand for systems that ensure every vote is provable and untouchable. Centralized digital voting platforms, while convenient, introduce risks of censorship and control. Governments or corporations managing these systems can suppress votes, alter records, or exclude participants based on arbitrary criteria. These challenges are particularly pronounced in micro-democracies—small-scale governance structures like DAOs, neighborhood councils, or worker cooperatives—where frequent, low-stake votes require cost-effective, secure solutions. BSV's decentralized architecture and technical capabilities position it as an ideal platform to address these issues, offering a level of transparency and security that traditional systems cannot match. BSV's technical edge for voting systems BSV's design makes it uniquely suited for voting applications. Its unbounded block size—reaching 4GB in recent tests—enables massive transaction throughput, with the BSV Infrastructure Team reporting 1,000,000 transactions per second (TPS) on the Teranode upgrade. This scalability ensures that BSV can handle the high volume of votes required for national elections or frequent micro-votes in DAOs without network congestion or delays. Unlike blockchains like Ethereum, which face high gas fees and throughput limits, BSV's low transaction fees—often below $0.00011—make it economically viable for small-scale, high-frequency voting. The immutability of BSV's proof-of-work blockchain is a cornerstone of its voting potential. Once a vote is recorded on-chain, it cannot be altered or deleted, ensuring a tamper-proof record. Each vote can be timestamped using BSV's native timestamping capabilities, providing a verifiable audit trail. Voters can use Simplified Payment Verification (SPV) to independently confirm their vote was counted, without relying on a central authority. This transparency addresses concerns that verifiable voting is the only way to restore trust. BSV's smart contract functionality further enhances its voting capabilities. Smart contracts can automate vote tallying, enforce eligibility rules, and ensure anonymity where needed, using cryptographic techniques like zero-knowledge proofs. For instance, a voter could prove they meet eligibility criteria (e.g., membership in a cooperative) without revealing their identity. This flexibility makes BSV adaptable to diverse voting scenarios, from anonymous ballots to weighted shareholder votes. Niche applications: Micro-democracy BSV's low-cost, scalable infrastructure shines in niche voting contexts like DAOs, local cooperatives, and community organizations. DAOs, which govern decentralized projects through token-based voting, often face challenges with voter apathy and high costs on other blockchains. BSV's micropayment capabilities allow DAO members to vote frequently without prohibitive fees, fostering active participation. For example, a DAO managing a decentralized fund could use BSV to record daily micro-votes on investment decisions, with each vote costing a fraction of a cent. Local cooperatives, such as agricultural or housing co-ops, can leverage BSV for transparent governance. Votes on resource allocation or leadership elections can be recorded on-chain, ensuring members can verify outcomes. In regions with limited digital infrastructure, BSV's peer-to-peer nature allows offline communities to sync votes via mobile apps, bridging accessibility gaps. These applications, rarely discussed in mainstream blockchain conversations, highlight BSV's potential to democratize governance at the grassroots level. The future: BSV as a voting standard BSV's potential to transform voting extends beyond niche use cases. Its regulation-friendly design, built to comply with legal frameworks, makes it appealing for governments exploring blockchain-based elections. Pilot projects, suggest BSV could underpin national voting systems, reducing fraud and increasing turnout. By integrating with digital identity protocols, BSV could ensure voter authenticity while preserving privacy and addressing concerns about centralized digital IDs. Challenges remain, including educating stakeholders and countering misinformation about BSV's capabilities. However, ongoing developments, such as Teranode's scalability enhancements and the BSV Association's outreach, are paving the way for broader adoption. As trust in traditional voting erodes, BSV's transparent, decentralized approach could become a global standard, from micro-democracies to national elections. Conclusion BSV offers a powerful solution to the transparency and security challenges plaguing voting systems. Its scalable, immutable blockchain, low-cost transactions, and smart contract capabilities make it ideal for both large-scale elections and niche micro-democracies. BSV restores trust in governance processes by enabling verifiable, tamper-proof voting empowering communities and individuals. As the world grapples with democratic deficits, BSV stands poised to redefine how we vote, proving blockchain can deliver on its promise of decentralization and fairness. Watch: State of the Union with John Pitts title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EtherMail wants to reinvent email for crypto: ‘Give it a decentralized backbone'
Gerald Heydenreich, President and co-founder of EtherMail, believes email — one of the internet's oldest tools — may hold the key to the next wave of crypto engagement. In a conversation with TheStreet Roundtable, Heydenreich shared how EtherMail's newly launched platform, Stake4Ads, is reshaping how projects reach users by blending email with blockchain incentives. 'The challenge in Web3 marketing is predictability,' Heydenreich said. 'Budgets are tight, audiences are fragmented, and traditional platforms don't speak the language of crypto. We wanted to fix that.' Launched in 2022, EtherMail is a blockchain-based email platform designed for wallet-to-wallet communication. It enables users to receive authenticated, on-chain messages from DAOs and crypto projects while protecting privacy. The platform also lets users earn rewards for consenting to targeted content. Launched on May 5, Stake4Ads lets companies stake EMT tokens to earn recurring ad credits — instead of spending tokens on one-off ads. These credits guarantee email placements in verified wallet-to-wallet inboxes, reaching users active in DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, and governance protocols. 'By staking, you're not spending,' Heydenreich explained. 'You're allocating resources to access attention — attention that's measurable, consent-based, and tied to real wallets.' In short: marketers lock up tokens, and in return, they get reliable access to crypto-native inboxes. This is a big shift from relying on social media, influencers, or paid campaigns with vague returns. EtherMail's platform is built to support direct, privacy-preserving communication between wallets — meaning users can get messages from token issuers or DAOs without giving up their data. Users can also set preferences and earn from receiving emails, making the relationship more balanced. It's a win-win: projects get consistent delivery with built-in fraud protection, and users only receive content they've opted into — sometimes with incentives. 'You can still market without market-making,' Heydenreich said. 'You're not burning tokens. You're using them as a signal of intent.' Early results show higher open and click-through rates, and EtherMail is offering a 25% performance boost for campaigns in their first month — a smart move to capture attention in the crowded Web3 space. Agencies are taking note, too. Stake4Ads gives them a quantifiable, blockchain-native way to deliver for crypto clients — not just views, but performance. 'It's not just about ads,' Heydenreich added. 'It's about performance. Staking makes that performance auditable.' While email may sound old-school, EtherMail sees it as a powerful tool when combined with blockchain principles. 'This isn't about reinventing email,' Heydenreich adds. 'It's about giving it a decentralized backbone. We just happen to think staking is a better way to earn attention than spending blindly.' With Stake4Ads now live, EtherMail aims to make email not just useful, but central to how crypto projects communicate — one staked token at a time. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
24-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Vocdoni raises $1M to launch DAVINCI: The first universal digital voting protocol
Vocdoni, a leader in governance solutions, announces the upcoming launch of DAVINCI, a protocol designed to set a new global standard in secure, accessible, anonymous, anticoercion and censorship-resistant digital voting. Following a successful $1M angel investment round, Vocdoni will launch DAVINCI's public testnet this June. Canton of Zug, Switzerland, April 24, 2025 -- Backed by individuals from leading projects in the Web3 sector, Vocdoni is redefining digital democracy with DAVINCI, the first digital voting technology that meets all the criteria for universal adoption. DAVINCI, an acronym for 'Decentralized Autonomous Vote Integrity Network with Cryptographic Immutability,' addresses critical vulnerabilities in existing digital and traditional voting systems by using advanced cryptographic methods such as zkSNARKs and threshold homomorphic encryption, leveraging Ethereum security and cryptographic integrity. These technologies ensure voter privacy, prevent coercion, and enable verifiable transparency without relying on central authorities. 'Current digital voting systems are costly, vulnerable, and inaccessible, failing to meet the democratic needs of billions,' stated Pau Escrich, Vocdoni cofounder. 'DAVINCI solves these issues, providing universally anticoercion, anonymous, tamper-proof, and cost-efficient voting capabilities.' Inspired by Bitcoin and Ethereum's success in enabling censorship‑resistant financial participation, DAVINCI brings that proven model to governance. Its token powers a fully decentralized voting network in which organizers stake tokens to launch transparent elections, and sequencers earn rewards by honestly aggregating votes. Vocdoni's longstanding leadership in decentralized governance has already provided secure voting solutions to over 300 organizations globally, including city councils, political parties and DAOs. DAVINCI emerges as a culmination of Vocdoni's extensive experience with the aim to establish new standards in digital democracy, enabling low‑cost, highly scalable, coercion-free and anonymous voting. Throughout 2025, Vocdoni will initiate token pre-sales, offering individuals and communities an opportunity to shape the future of digital governance. For more information, please visit About the company: Vocdoni, a pioneer in decentralized governance technology, empowers communities and institutions through secure, verifiable, and censorship-resistant digital voting solutions. Built on open-source principles, decentralized technologies and advanced cryptography, Vocdoni ensures integrity, privacy, and accessibility in global democratic processes. Vocdoni works with notable clients such as FC Barcelona, the Barcelona City Council, the Belarusian Coordination Council, Esquerra Republicana, one of the largest political parties in Spain, and Òmnium Cultural, the largest cultural association in Europe, along with hundreds of other Web2 organizations, institutions, and DAOs. Contact Info: Name: Ferran Reyes Email: Send Email Organization: Vocdoni Phone: +34744407401 Website: Disclaimer: This press release is for informational purposes only. Information verification has been done to the best of our ability. Still, due to the speculative nature of the blockchain (cryptocurrency, NFT, mining, etc.) sector as a whole, complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. You are advised to conduct your own research and exercise caution. Investments in these fields are inherently risky and should be approached with due diligence. Release ID: 89158313 In case of identifying any errors, concerns, or inconsistencies within the content shared in this press release that necessitate action or if you require assistance with a press release takedown, we strongly urge you to notify us promptly by contacting [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our expert team is committed to addressing your concerns within 8 hours by taking necessary actions diligently to rectify any identified issues or supporting you with the removal process. Delivering accurate and reliable information remains our top priority.
