AI Agents and DAOs: Two Forms of Autonomous Will, Different Paths to the Same Goal

Author: chao Source: X, @chaowxyz

Continuing yesterday's topic, AI Agent and DAO, one driven by AI algorithms and the other by community consensus. On the surface, they seem quite different, but if we look beyond the surface, we will find that they are two sides of the same coin — essentially both seek to achieve autonomous operation in the digital world and even in the real world.

On the surface, the biggest difference between the two lies in the decision-making mechanism:

• AI Agent: Its will originates from the machine. Decisions are derived from its own algorithms, models, and preset goals, representing a form of independent, computation-driven autonomy.
• DAO: Its will is derived from the collective. Decisions rely on the hundreds and thousands of human members behind it, forming a collective will through proposals, discussions, and voting.

Common Ground: Challenges of the Execution Layer and the Legal Layer

1. Self-executing kernel

Regardless of the decision-making process, their final execution is similar: it is completed by a piece of autonomously running code. The smart contracts of the DAO will automatically execute all proposals that have been passed by voting. The core program of the AI Agent will automatically execute the decisions generated by its algorithms.

On the level of "execution," they are all "machines" that have no physical form yet can act autonomously in the digital world.

2. Common Legal Dilemmas

Because their "bodies" are all code, both face a common dilemma of being disconnected from the physical world. They cannot sign contracts, open bank accounts, or interact directly with the legal and financial systems of the real world in their own names. Therefore, they both need a "legal interface" (such as a legal entity established for this purpose) to grant them the qualification to act in the real world.

Deeper Convergence: The 'Will' Defined by Code

Returning to the biggest difference between the two - the decision-making level - and examining it from a deeper perspective. The true foundation of a DAO is its smart contract code. This code defines its core rules, incentive mechanisms, and governance processes. It is like the DNA of a living organism, presetting the most fundamental survival and behavioral norms of the entire organization.

Rather than saying that humans are "deciding", it is more accurate to say that humans are "responding".

The rules of the DAO create a powerful environment, or what can be called a "gravitational field." Within this field, rational participants (to gain rewards, avoid losses, or achieve common goals) will naturally have their behaviors guided in a certain direction, ultimately forming a consensus. Consensus does not arise out of thin air; it is the result shaped within the rules of this "gravitational field."

From this perspective, human members are not operators standing outside the machine, but are integrated into this grand machine, functioning as key components. Just as the brain needs neurons to transmit signals, this machine called a DAO requires human members to provide decision signals, and the way these signals are generated and transmitted has long been regulated by its underlying code.

Just like a swarm of ants can build nests, forage for food, and defend against enemies, demonstrating remarkable collective intelligence, this will does not come from the independent thinking of any single ant, but rather emerges from the macroscopic behavior that all ants follow simple chemical rules (releasing and following pheromones).

Therefore, we can say that a DAO possesses autonomous will based on coded rules, but this is not a "computational will" based on individual thought; rather, it is an "emergent will" based on system design.

Most AI Agents and DAOs today are still far from mature, but their development directions are converging. They are all exploring how to construct a non-human, code-centric autonomous entity.