DAO Harvard: Exploring the Implications of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) are an emerging technology with immense potential to revolutionize how we think about social and economic organization. However, as with any new technology, many questions need to be answered regarding the legal, policy, and societal implications of DAOs.

We are happy to announce that BlockchainGov will participate in the DAO Harvard event! This three-day conference will bring together practitioners, policymakers, and academics to explore these implications and discuss the future of decentralized social technologies. Co-hosted by Harvard Belfer Center’s Technology and Public Purpose Project and Harvard University’s Safra Center for Ethics, the conference will bring together an interdisciplinary set of stakeholders from academia, government, and industry.

Three themes will be addressed:

Day 1: Research

The first day of the conference will focus on ongoing academic research efforts related to decentralized social technologies. Researchers can present their recent work and align on future research priorities. The day aims to refine research questions, identify priorities, and foster collaboration across disciplinary divides.

Day 2: Law

The second day of the conference will gather lawyers, academics, and practitioners to identify the current pain points that DAOs encounter when trying to interface with the legal system. Topics include incorporation, liability, taxation, and more. The day’s goal is to understand the current legal approaches being experimented with and reflect on how legal frameworks could evolve to accommodate the needs of DAOs.

Day 3: Policy

The third and final day of the conference will be an intimate gathering of leaders across policy, business, and academia to discuss the role of organizations such as cooperatives, open-source communities, and DAOs in enabling equitable ownership and presenting antidotes to some of the harms caused by Big Tech. The goal is to discuss the hurdles these organizations face in realizing their potential and explore how novel entities like DAOs may improve outcomes in the US.

Overall, DAO Harvard represents a unique opportunity to explore the implications of decentralized autonomous organizations in society. The conference aims to foster collaboration, advance research efforts, and pave the way for a more equitable and decentralized future by bringing together an interdisciplinary set of stakeholders across academia, government, and industry.