I did some light research on what the trends are in DAO design in 2025. Here are the things I found.

I hope this is fruitful for anyone designing DAOs in 2025 :)

AI Integration

1. AI x DAOs

AI x DAOs represent the integration of artificial intelligence into DAO operations for tasks like treasury management, proposal analysis, and information routing. AI Agents can process large amounts of data and make or suggest decisions based on predefined criteria and historical patterns. The AI agents can operate continuously and potentially make more objective decisions than human governors.

2. AI Agents Governance Assistance

AI can help in making governance processes more transparent and efficient by providing clear, data-driven insights into voting patterns, member engagement, and proposal impacts. This includes collapsing broad context into digestible summaries, which could democratize participation by making governance updates more accessible to all members.

3. AI Circuit Breakers

AI circuit breakers provide governance-controlled limits on AI system actions to prevent potential problems. These systems can automatically pause or limit AI actions based on various triggers. They help create safer AI integration in DAOs.

4. AI Delegates

AI delegates are artificial intelligence systems that can participate in governance decisions on behalf of token holders. These systems can analyze proposals, track voting patterns, and make decisions based on defined criteria. They help create more sophisticated and automated governance systems.

5. AI for design space exploration

AI Agents can significantly enhance the exploration of design spaces within infinite backrooms by automating the generation and evaluation of diverse architectural configurations. By leveraging vast datasets, context windows, and computational power, AI can rapidly produce and iterate on design concepts 24/27. In doing so, it coulid identify optimal solutions more efficiently than traditional human methods. This approach not only accelerates the design process but also reduces costs associated with manual exploration, enabling more innovative and cost-effective outcomes.

Examples: InfiniteRegen.AI

6. Ai for Information Routing

AI and LLMs can streamline information routing in DAOs by summarizing calls or discussions into concise updates, highlighting key topics and action items for quick reference. They can analyze members’ roles and interests to deliver tailored information, ensuring each persona receives only relevant updates. Additionally, AI-powered knowledge graphs can map DAO resources, discussions, and contributors, making it easy to connect the right people with the right information at the right time.

7. AI for Onboarding and Member Management

AI tools are being used to streamline the onboarding process in DAOs by reading resumes, deciding on new member qualifications, and even suggesting roles based on skills and historical performance data. This application reduces human bias and speeds up the integration of new members into the DAO.

8. AI Onchain Capital Allocation

AI Agents can enhance resource routing in DAOs by synthesizing data from past funding rounds, proposals, and performance metrics to inform retroactive capital allocation more effectively. They can identify underfunded but impactful projects through advanced analysis and suggest optimal resource distribution. By automating proposal reviews and prioritizing based on DAO goals, AI ensures capital is allocated efficiently and transparently.

9. DAOs Governing AI

DAOs overseeing AI development to ensure ethical or aligned AI practicees. This could involve community-driven governance of AI research and deployment, potentially leading to safer and more accountable AI systems.

10. Swarm Intelligence

AI is being tested to serve as connectors between or within DAOs, agents, and peoiple, creating a form of swarm intelligence where different entites can share knoeldge, communicate, and coordinate more efficiently, leading to collective decision-making that’s beyond the capacity of individual human members.

Financial Mechanisms

11. Assurance Contracts

Assurance contracts create mechanisms for coordinating group actions by ensuring participation only occurs if enough others also participate. These contracts help solve coordination problems and enable collective action. They’re particularly useful for funding public goods or organizing collective efforts.

12. COCM (Connection Oriented Cluster Match) Quadratic Funding

This algorithm enhances the traditional quadratic funding model by identifying and mitigating collusion among contributors. It analyzes clusters of users based on shared attributes or behaviors to detect coordinated groups attempting to unfairly influence funding outcomes. By adjusting matching funds to account for these collusion patterns, CCOM ensures a more equitable and effective distribution of resources to genuinely community-supported projects.

Examples: Gitcoin Grants Stack

13. Cookie Jars

Cookie jars provide specialized treasury management systems with rules for allocation and spending. They can include features like spending limits, approval requirements, and automatic distributions. The system helps maintain fiscal discipline while ensuring resources are available when needed.

14. Deepfunding

Deep Funding is an initiative that rewards open-source contributors by utilizing dependency graphs and a market of AI or human allocators, guided by a spot-checking jury, to distribute funds to contributors upstream of a project valued by the funder. It aims to scale high-quality human judgment in funding decisions, reducing the cognitive load on funders. The project includes a contest with a total prize of $250,000, encouraging the development of models to assign weights to 40,000 identified Ethereum dependencies.

Examples: DeepFunding.Org

15. Direct Contract Incentives

Assurance Contracts + It ensures that contributors are refunded with an additional reward if the project fails to meet its funding goal, incentivizing participation while reducing the risk of loss.

Examples: Boost, Royco

16. Dominant Assurance Contracts

Direct contract incentives embed reward mechanisms directly into smart contracts, creating automatic and transparent incentive systems. These systems can reward specific actions, achievements, or contributions without requiring manual distribution. They help create more efficient and trustless incentive structures.

17. Harberger Taxes

Harberger taxes create a continuous auction mechanism where asset holders must set a sale price and pay taxes based on that price. This creates a balance between efficient resource allocation and fair compensation for current holders. The system helps prevent resource hoarding and ensures productive use of assets.

18. Impact Attestations

Impact attestations provide verifiable certificates for measuring and proving impact in various domains. These systems can track and verify contributions, achievements, and outcomes. They help create more transparent and accountable impact measurement systems.

Examples: EAS

19. Impact Certificates

An impact certificate is a tradable token that represents proof of positive impact or value created by an individual or organization, often in areas like public goods or social initiatives. It can be sold or redeemed later, allowing funders to retroactively reward impactful contributions.

Examples: Hypercerts

20. KPI-based Incentives

KPI-based incentives tie rewards to specific, measurable performance indicators. These systems can automatically adjust rewards based on achieved results. They help create more objective and performance-focused incentive structures.

Examples: Metro

21. Private Quadratic Funding

Private quadratic funding combines privacy technologies with quadratic funding mechanisms to prevent collusion. The system allows for democratic funding allocation while protecting voter privacy. It helps ensure that funding decisions reflect true community preferences rather than coordinated voting blocks.

Examples: MACI

22. Programmable Money Streaming

Programmable money streaming enables continuous, real-time payment flows rather than discrete transactions. This allows for more granular control over payment timing and conditions, such as salary streaming or service payments. The system can automatically adjust payment rates based on various conditions or metrics.

Examples: Drips, Sablier, Superfluid

23. Programmatic Liquidity

Programmatic liquidity uses algorithms to automatically manage market making and liquidity provision in DeFi protocols. These systems can adjust parameters like price curves and pool depths based on market conditions and protocol needs. The approach helps maintain stable markets and efficient price discovery without requiring constant human intervention.

Examples: Baseline Markets, Cult DAO

24. Proof of Value

Proof of Value (PoV) is a consensus mechanism by Thrive Protocol that measures and validates the real-world impact of contributions within a blockchain ecosystem. It uses expert validators, known as Guardians, to assess contributions based on criteria like code quality, financial outcomes, and content accuracy. This ensures fair and efficient distribution of funding, rewarding contributors in proportion to the value they deliver.

Examples: Thrive Protocol

25. QF + Bonding Curves

This system combines quadratic funding’s democratic allocation with bonding curves’ price discovery mechanisms. The integration creates a dynamic funding system that can respond to market signals while maintaining democratic elements. It helps balance efficient capital allocation with community preferences.

Examples: q/acc by giveth

26. Retroactive Funding

Retroactive funding provides rewards for value creation after the fact, rather than funding speculative future work. This approach reduces the risk of funding unproductive work and creates stronger incentives for valuable contributions. It helps solve the public goods funding problem by rewarding proven value creation.

Examples: Optimism Retro Funding, EasyRetroPGF.xyz

27. Revenue Routing

Revenue routing systems automatically direct incoming funds to different stakeholders or purposes based on predetermined rules or formulas. These systems can handle complex distribution patterns, such as splitting revenue between contributors, treasury, and liquidity providers in real-time. The automation reduces administrative overhead and ensures transparent, predictable fund distribution.

Examples: RevNets.app

28. Sweat Equity

Sweat equity systems allocate ownership based on work contributions rather than capital investment. These systems can track and value different types of contributions over time. They help create more equitable ownership structures based on actual value creation.

Examples: Collabberry

Governance Models

29. Compound v2

Compound v2 governance introduces sophisticated mechanisms for managing DeFi protocols, including delayed execution, time locks, and delegation. The system allows for both routine parameter adjustments and major protocol changes. It includes safety features to prevent malicious proposals while maintaining flexibility.

Examples: Compound Finance, Uniswap, Gitcoin governance

30. Contestable Control

Contestable control systems allow for challenges to existing control structures under defined conditions. This creates accountability while maintaining stability. The system helps prevent capture while enabling necessary changes.

Examples: Jeff Strnad’s work

31. Conviction Voting

Conviction voting weights votes based on how long voters maintain their position, encouraging long-term thinking and reducing vote manipulation. Voters accumulate voting power over time, which they can apply to different proposals. This system helps prevent short-term speculation and encourages considered decision-making.

Examples: 1Hive

32. Decentralized Arbitration

Decentralized arbitration provides on-chain systems for resolving disputes between parties. These systems often use juror pools and economic incentives to ensure fair judgments. They help create more robust and self-contained governance systems.

Examples: Kleros

33. Deliberation-first Governance

Deliberation-first governance emphasizes structured discussion and consensus-building before formal voting begins. This approach helps ensure decisions are well-considered and have broad support. It can lead to better decisions and stronger community alignment.

Examples: Harmonica, SimScore

34. Dual Governance

Dual governance creates two-layer governance systems with different mechanisms and requirements for different types of decisions. This allows for more efficient handling of different decision types. The system helps balance efficiency and security in governance.

Examples: Lido Finance, Optimism Bicameral governance (token house vs citizens house)

35. EigenGov

EigenGov is EigenLayer’s governance system that entrusts decision-making to councils of domain experts, while granting EIGEN token holders ultimate authority through veto powers. This structure ensures that those actively engaged in the ecosystem drive daily operations, maintaining a balance between expert insight and community oversight.

Examples: EigenGov

36. Holographic Consensus

Holographic consensus creates scalable decision-making systems that can maintain quality while processing large numbers of proposals. The system uses various mechanisms to filter and prioritize proposals efficiently. It helps solve the scalability challenges of traditional governance systems.

Examples: DAO Stack

37. Liquid Democracy

Liquid democracy allows voters to either vote directly or delegate their voting power to others who can further delegate. This creates a flexible system that combines direct and representative democracy. It helps balance participation and expertise in governance.

38. New Voting Strategies

Advanced voting mechanisms go beyond simple token-weighted voting to include various weighting schemes (quadratic voting), quorum requirements, and voting periods. These strategies can account for factors like voter reputation, stake duration, or specialized knowledge. They aim to improve decision quality while maintaining fair participation.

Examples: Snapshot Labs

39. Onchain/Offchain Connectors

These systems create bridges between on-chain governance and legal entities, enabling hybrid structures that combine blockchain and traditional legal frameworks. This allows DAOs to interact more effectively with the traditional legal system. The approach helps DAOs operate more effectively in the real world.

Examples: BORGs

40. Optimistic Governance

Optimistic governance allows actions to execute automatically unless specifically challenged within a timeframe. This approach reduces governance overhead for routine decisions while maintaining safety through the challenge mechanism. It’s particularly useful for low-risk, frequent decisions.

41. Reputation Voting

Reputation voting assigns voting power based on accumulated reputation rather than token holdings. Reputation can be earned through contributions, participation, and other positive actions. This approach helps align voting power with demonstrated commitment to the project.

42. Role-based Governance

Role-based governance assigns different permissions and voting powers based on specific roles within the DAO, similar to how traditional organizations have different levels of authority. This system allows for more nuanced control over who can make what decisions, making governance more efficient and specialized. Users can earn or be assigned roles based on their contributions, expertise, or other criteria.

Examples: Hats Protocol

43. Subjective Rule Enforcement

Subjective rule enforcement allows for human judgment in applying rules rather than purely mechanical enforcement. This creates more flexible and context-aware governance systems. It helps handle complex situations that resist simple algorithmic solutions.

Examples: Q Blockchain

44. Sybil-resistant Voting

Sybil-resistant voting implements mechanisms to prevent individuals from gaining extra voting power through multiple identities. These systems might use proof of humanity, proof of personhood, or other verification methods. They help ensure voting results reflect true community preferences rather than gaming attempts.

Examples: Gitcoin Passport, Worldcoin

45. Ungovernance

Ungovernance eliminates traditional voting mechanisms in favor of automated rules and predefined protocols. This approach reduces governance overhead and potential manipulation by removing human decision-making from routine operations. The system operates more like a vending machine than a democracy, with clear rules and predictable outcomes.

Info Finance

46. Decentralized Fact Checking

Platforms where users can stake tokens to challenge or validate the accuracy of information. If a claim is proven false, challengers are rewarded, incentivizing the community to maintain information integrity.

47. Decentralized News Insurance

A platform where users can pool funds to insure the accuracy of news stories. Investigative journalists or fact-checkers can claim funds from the pool to validate or disprove a story. If the story is proven false, funds are returned to contributors; if validated, investigators are rewarded.

48. Futarchy

Futarchy uses prediction markets to make governance decisions, allowing token holders to bet on the outcomes of different proposals. This creates a market-based decision mechanism that can potentially make more accurate predictions than traditional voting. The system helps align governance decisions with expected outcomes.

Examples: Butter.money

49. Knowledge NFTs with Dynamic Value

Create tokenized pieces of verified knowledge, where the value of the NFT increases as more independent validators confirm its accuracy and utility. Institutions or individuals could buy these NFTs for access to high-quality data or proof of expertise.

50. Proof-of-Impact Prediction Markets

A prediction market that tracks and rewards predictions not just based on correctness but also on the downstream impact of the event. For example, predictions about technology adoption could incorporate metrics like user growth or economic impact, creating richer datasets for long-term decision-making.

51. Reputation-Based Lending Systems

Financial systems where an individual’s or entity’s access to loans and credit is influenced by their reputation scores, which are dynamically updated based on community feedback and verified information.

52. Tokenized Research Funding

Systems where researchers propose projects, and the community can fund these initiatives by purchasing tokens. The success and impact of the research would then influence the value of the tokens, aligning financial incentives with the production of valuable knowledge.

Infrastructure

53. Allo Protocol

Allo Protocol provides infrastructure for effective resource allocation in web3 projects. The protocol includes features for storing project metadata, managing funding rounds, evaluating proposals, and distributing resources. It aims to standardize and optimize the funding process for web3 projects.

Examples: Allo

54. Aragon OSx

Aragon OSx provides an updated operating system for creating and managing DAOs with enhanced flexibility and functionality. The system includes advanced permission management, plugin architecture, and governance tools. It aims to make DAO creation and management more accessible while maintaining sophistication.

Examples: Aragon Project

55. Cross-Chain Asset Management, Voting, Token Transfers

DAOs can manage treasury assets spread across multiple blockchains with Chainlinks CCIP. This includes transferring funds between chains securely or deploying multi-chain yield strategies to optimize treasury growth.

Examples: CCIP

56. MolochDAO v3

MolochDAO v2 introduced loot—non-voting shares that allow for more flexible membership structures—and the ability to hold multiple ERC-20 tokens in its treasury, enhancing its funding capabilities beyond v1’s single-token limitation. v2 also adding features like forced ragequit, enabling the removal of inactive or malicious members. MolochDAO v2.5 further improved upon v2 by by integrating minions, which allow the DAO to interact with external smart contracts in one proposal.

Examples: MolochDAO

57. Zodiac Modules

Zodiac Modules provide a modular smart contract system that allows DAOs to add or modify governance features without changing their core structure. These modules can be combined like building blocks to create customized governance systems. The modularity allows DAOs to evolve their governance over time without requiring complete restructuring.

Examples: Safe

Organization Models

58. Activity DAOs

Activity DAOs organize around specific activities or objectives rather than general governance. These DAOs have focused missions and specialized governance mechanisms. They help create more efficient organizations for specific purposes.

Examples: PizzaDAO, Blunt DAO, Sauna DAO

59. Composable Governance

Composable governance allows different governance mechanisms to be combined and interact in defined ways. This creates flexible systems that can adapt to different needs and situations. The approach helps DAOs create more sophisticated and nuanced governance systems.

60. Modular Governance

Modular governance creates layered structures with sub-DAOs and side-DAOs that can operate semi-independently. This allows for more specialized and efficient governance at different levels. The approach helps manage complexity while maintaining coordination.

61. Pods

In DAOs, pods (introduced by Orca) are small, autonomous teams with specific responsibilities, designed to improve coordination and decision-making within the organization. They enable decentralized governance by delegating authority to manageable, composable subgroups.

Examples: Orca

62. Self Curated Registries

A self-curated registry is a dynamic list of core contributors maintained by the contributors themselves. It ensures transparency and adaptability by allowing members to collectively update the registry as roles and contributions evolve.

Examples: Protocol Guild + other Guilds

63. Swarms

In DAOs, swarms (introduced by rnDAO) are self-organized, task-focused groups formed to tackle specific projects or initiatives. They operate with flexibility and autonomy, enabling contributors to collaborate dynamically without formal hierarchy.

Examples: rnDAO

Token Economics

64. Dynamic Unlocks

Dynamic unlocks create flexible token vesting schedules that can adjust based on various metrics or conditions. Instead of simple time-based vesting, tokens might unlock based on project milestones, market conditions, or participant behavior. This approach helps align incentives and respond to changing circumstances.

65. Governance Staking

Tokens must be locked up to participate in governance, creating stronger alignment. The system helps create more sustainable token economics.

Examples: Unichain, Aribtrum Governance, Tally Staking

66. Restaking

Restaking governance connects staked assets to governance rights, creating stronger alignment between economic stake and voting power. This can include various mechanisms for managing stake and voting rights. The system helps create stronger alignment between economic and governance incentives.

67. Social Token Distribution

This approach distributes tokens based on social media activity and engagement, creating a more organic and merit-based distribution model. It can consider factors like content creation, community engagement, and web of trust. The system helps align token distribution with actual community contribution and influence.

Examples: Farcaster, Lens Protocol

68. Token Launchpads

Token launchpads provide infrastructure for launching new tokens with sophisticated pricing mechanisms like bonding curves. These platforms often include features for fair launches, gradual distribution, and price discovery. They help prevent common issues like price manipulation and excessive concentration of tokens.

Examples: Pump.fun

69. Ve/Gauge Governance

Ve/gauge governance combines vote-escrowed tokens with gauge-weighted emissions to create sophisticated token distribution systems. Tokens must be locked up to participate in governance, creating stronger alignment. The system helps create more sustainable token economics.

Examples: Aerodrome, Mode, Puffer, Pendle

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