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19:T20e2,<p>Since launching Zoo Labs Foundation, we've processed 47 Zoo Improvement Proposals (ZIPs). Today we share lessons learned and improvements to the governance process.</p>
<h2 id="the-case-for-governance">The Case for Governance</h2>
<p>AI development involves decisions that affect many stakeholders:</p>
<ul>
<li>What data should models train on?</li>
<li>How should capabilities be released?</li>
<li>What safety measures are required?</li>
<li>How should resources be allocated?</li>
</ul>
<p>These questions don't have purely technical answers. They require value judgments. Centralized organizations make these judgments internally. We believe affected communities should participate.</p>
<p>ZIPs make governance explicit, transparent, and participatory.</p>
<h2 id="how-zips-work">How ZIPs Work</h2>
<h3 id="proposal-types">Proposal Types</h3>
<p>ZIPs fall into several categories:</p>
<p><strong>Standard ZIPs</strong>: Technical specifications</p>
<ul>
<li>Model architectures</li>
<li>Training procedures</li>
<li>Evaluation protocols</li>
<li>API standards</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Process ZIPs</strong>: Governance procedures</p>
<ul>
<li>Voting rules</li>
<li>Working group charters</li>
<li>Grant criteria</li>
<li>Release policies</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Informational ZIPs</strong>: Guidelines and recommendations</p>
<ul>
<li>Best practices</li>
<li>Research directions</li>
<li>Community standards</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="lifecycle">Lifecycle</h3>
<pre><code>[Draft] -> [Review] -> [Vote] -> [Accepted/Rejected] -> [Implemented]
                |
                v
           [Withdrawn]
</code></pre>
<p><strong>Draft</strong>: Author creates proposal using template. Must include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Abstract (200 words max)</li>
<li>Motivation (why this change?)</li>
<li>Specification (precise details)</li>
<li>Rationale (why this approach?)</li>
<li>Backwards compatibility</li>
<li>Security considerations</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Review</strong>: Community discusses on forums and in working groups. Minimum 14 days. Author revises based on feedback.</p>
<p><strong>Vote</strong>: Token holders vote. Quorum: 10% of circulating supply. Threshold: 66% approval for Standard/Process ZIPs, 50% for Informational.</p>
<p><strong>Implementation</strong>: Approved ZIPs are implemented by relevant teams. Timeline specified in proposal.</p>
<h3 id="example-zip">Example ZIP</h3>
<p><strong>ZIP-23: Mandatory Safety Evaluations</strong></p>
<p><em>Abstract</em>: This ZIP requires all Zen models to pass standardized safety evaluations before release. It specifies evaluation benchmarks, minimum thresholds, and remediation procedures.</p>
<p><em>Motivation</em>: As Zen models become more capable, systematic safety evaluation ensures we catch potential harms before deployment...</p>
<p>[Full proposal at zips.zoo.ngo/zip-23]</p>
<h2 id="lessons-learned">Lessons Learned</h2>
<p>After 47 ZIPs, we've learned what works and what doesn't.</p>
<h3 id="what-works">What Works</h3>
<p><strong>Clear templates</strong>: Structured templates reduce ambiguity. Authors know what to include. Reviewers know what to expect.</p>
<p><strong>Mandatory discussion periods</strong>: Two weeks minimum prevents rushed decisions. Complex proposals often need longer.</p>
<p><strong>Working group pre-review</strong>: Technical working groups review proposals before community vote. Catches errors and improves quality.</p>
<p><strong>On-chain voting</strong>: Tamper-proof voting records. Clear outcome determination. Historical audit trail.</p>
<h3 id="what-doesnt-work">What Doesn't Work</h3>
<p><strong>Low participation</strong>: Early votes had &#x3C;5% participation. We added delegation and reminders. Participation now averages 12%.</p>
<p><strong>Proposal complexity</strong>: Some proposals tried to do too much. We now encourage smaller, focused ZIPs.</p>
<p><strong>Implementation lag</strong>: Approved proposals sometimes stalled in implementation. We added accountability mechanisms.</p>
<p><strong>Voter fatigue</strong>: Too many votes led to declining participation. We batch non-urgent votes monthly.</p>
<h2 id="improvements-for-2024">Improvements for 2024</h2>
<p>Based on experience, we're upgrading the process:</p>
<h3 id="conviction-voting">Conviction Voting</h3>
<p>For resource allocation decisions, we're piloting conviction voting:</p>
<ul>
<li>Tokens continuously signal preferences</li>
<li>Conviction accumulates over time</li>
<li>Proposals pass when conviction reaches threshold</li>
</ul>
<p>This rewards sustained support over flash mobs.</p>
<h3 id="optimistic-approval">Optimistic Approval</h3>
<p>Low-controversy changes use optimistic approval:</p>
<ul>
<li>Proposal published with 7-day objection period</li>
<li>If no objection reaches threshold (5% of tokens), proposal passes</li>
<li>If objection threshold reached, standard vote occurs</li>
</ul>
<p>Reduces voting overhead for routine decisions.</p>
<h3 id="working-group-autonomy">Working Group Autonomy</h3>
<p>Working groups can approve changes within their scope without full vote:</p>
<ul>
<li>Changes must align with approved charter</li>
<li>Community can override within 14 days</li>
<li>Increases agility while maintaining accountability</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="reputation-weighted-voting">Reputation-Weighted Voting</h3>
<p>We're exploring reputation adjustments:</p>
<ul>
<li>Technical expertise weighted higher for technical ZIPs</li>
<li>Contribution history affects weight</li>
<li>Prevents pure plutocracy</li>
</ul>
<p>This is controversial. ZIP-52 is the formal proposal for community decision.</p>
<h2 id="governance-statistics">Governance Statistics</h2>



































<table><thead><tr><th>Metric</th><th>Q1 2024</th><th>Q2 2024</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Proposals submitted</td><td>18</td><td>29</td></tr><tr><td>Proposals passed</td><td>12</td><td>21</td></tr><tr><td>Average participation</td><td>8%</td><td>14%</td></tr><tr><td>Average discussion length</td><td>9 days</td><td>16 days</td></tr><tr><td>Implementation rate</td><td>75%</td><td>92%</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Participation and quality are improving.</p>
<h2 id="notable-zips">Notable ZIPs</h2>
<p>Some highlights from our proposal history:</p>
<p><strong>ZIP-7</strong>: Established the grants program criteria and evaluation process. Enabled $3M in grants.</p>
<p><strong>ZIP-15</strong>: Required training data documentation for all Zen models. Now standard practice.</p>
<p><strong>ZIP-23</strong>: Mandatory safety evaluations (discussed above). Caught two issues pre-release.</p>
<p><strong>ZIP-31</strong>: Created the Infrastructure Working Group. Now maintains Training Gym.</p>
<p><strong>ZIP-38</strong>: Approved Zen-2-70B training budget. Largest single resource allocation.</p>
<h2 id="participating-in-governance">Participating in Governance</h2>
<h3 id="for-token-holders">For Token Holders</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Stay informed</strong>: Read proposals at zips.zoo.ngo</li>
<li><strong>Discuss</strong>: Join forum discussions</li>
<li><strong>Delegate</strong>: If you can't follow closely, delegate to aligned representatives</li>
<li><strong>Vote</strong>: Participate in votes that matter to you</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="for-proposers">For Proposers</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Start with discussion</strong>: Float ideas in forums before formal proposal</li>
<li><strong>Find co-sponsors</strong>: Working group endorsement helps</li>
<li><strong>Be specific</strong>: Vague proposals fail</li>
<li><strong>Engage with feedback</strong>: Responsive authors succeed</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="for-working-groups">For Working Groups</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Pre-review proposals</strong>: Catch issues early</li>
<li><strong>Provide expertise</strong>: Technical analysis helps voters</li>
<li><strong>Implement promptly</strong>: Approved proposals deserve attention</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="governance-as-infrastructure">Governance as Infrastructure</h2>
<p>Good governance is invisible when working. Bad governance is obvious when failing. ZIPs provide structure that enables coordinated action while preventing unilateral capture.</p>
<p>As AI systems become more powerful, their governance becomes more important. We're building the institutions for a future where AI development is genuinely participatory.</p>
<p>Join the conversation at zips.zoo.ngo.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Zach Kelling is a co-founder of Zoo Labs Foundation.</em></p>f:["$","main",null,{"children":["$","article",null,{"className":"blog-article","children":[["$","$L5",null,{"className":"blog-back","href":"/blog","children":"← Blog"}],["$","div",null,{"className":"blog-post-meta","children":["May 19, 2024"," ","·"," ",4," min read"]}],["$","h1",null,{"className":"blog-post-title","children":"ZIPs: Decentralized Governance for Open AI"}],["$","p",null,{"className":"blog-post-lede","children":"How Zoo Improvement Proposals enable community-driven governance of open AI development."}],["$","div",null,{"className":"blog-prose","dangerouslySetInnerHTML":{"__html":"$19"}}]]}]}]
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