Meta Pool, a leading liquid staking protocol on NEAR, is embarking on its most ambitious project to date: becoming the main testing ground for Artificial Intelligence-driven governance.
In a livestream marking its fourth anniversary, Co-Founder Claudio Cossio and Illia Polosukhin, Co-Founder of NEAR, outlined how Meta Pool’s DAO (mpDAO) will serve as a practical testbed for the AI governance models at the core of NEAR’s upcoming House of Stake.
Building on a Foundation of Decentralization
Cossio reiterated that Meta Pool’s core mission has always been to be a “decentralized liquid staking platform.” These four years have provided critical lessons about the challenges of governance, including voter apathy and bureaucratic inefficiency. This real-world experience makes Meta Pool an ideal environment for stress-testing new models. The protocol has already worked on onboarding more validators and reducing node operating costs, creating a robust foundation for this next step.
The AI Executive Advisor
Polosukhin challenged Meta Pool to codify its mission and create an “AI executive advisor.” This agent would initially analyze data, post suggestions on forums and provide strategic context. As its proposals gain the community’s trust, it could evolve to formally submit governance proposals. “Think of it not as an executive yet, but as a strategic advisor that starts to participate,” Polosukhin said, highlighting a practical path to integrating AI without giving up final control.
A Model for the Ecosystem
This initiative places Meta Pool at the forefront of a major shift in the ecosystem. By tackling governance, which Cossio called the “ugly duckling” of L1s, Meta Pool is not only building for its own protocol but is helping pioneer the tools and frameworks that could define how all projects on NEAR manage decentralized decision-making in the age of AI.
