A new governance system proposes using colonies of living bacteria and fungal networks to make decisions instead of humans.
April 25, 2026
Original Paper
BioDAO: Biological Decentralized Autonomous Organizations Using Wetware Computing for Collective Governance
SSRN · 6632478
The Takeaway
Biological Decentralized Autonomous Organizations use photosynthetic bacteria and neural organoids as a form of wetware computing. These living systems are integrated with blockchain technology to manage collective resources and reach consensus on various tasks. The idea is to replace traditional human bureaucracy or silicon based AI with the natural logic of biological networks. This setup could create a more resilient and adaptive way to govern complex systems by tapping into the survival instincts of microorganisms. It marks the first time that living tissue has been seriously considered as a substrate for corporate and social governance. The boardroom of the future might be a vat of living cells.
From the abstract
This paper proposes BioDAO (Biological Decentralized Autonomous Organization), a novel governance framework that integrates quantum biological computing, wetware systems, and blockchain technology to address fundamental limitations in collective decision-making. Traditional institutions face challenges including information asymmetry, principal-agent problems, and coordination failures. BioDAOs leverage photosynthetic bacteria for quantum coherent energy transfer, neural organoids for adaptive l