NEAR Protocol Adds AI and Humans to Governance Table

• NEAR Protocol’s new House of Stake introduces AI roles in blockchain governance, including assistants, delegates, and even a potential AI CEO.
• House of Stake uses veNEAR token locking for weighted voting, rewarding long-term protocol involvement and decision-making power.

Amid the buzz about the same old blockchain governance, NEAR Protocol is throwing a new ball into the field. Not just a token-based voting system, they are launching the “House of Stake,” a governance mechanism that will combine community voting with the unique role of an intelligent entity. Imagine if your voice could be represented by a ‘digital assistant’ who understands direction, not just pressing the “yes” or “no” button.

Introducing the House of Stake! Governance by and for the NEAR community that will eventually include:

AI Assistants 🤖
AI Delegates 🗳️
AI CEO 👑

Check out the full details below👇 https://t.co/Ax3IfZdMpl

— NEAR Protocol (@NEARProtocol) May 21, 2025

More Than Just Voting: When AI Joins the Governance Table

This system uses the concept of veNEAR (vote-escrow NEAR), which means: the longer you lock your tokens, the bigger your voice. This is a kind of reward for people who are serious about shaping the future of the protocol, not just following the trend of voting.

However, outside of the voting system itself, NEAR is designing a governance structure that involves a Screening Committee, Endorsed Delegates, and a Security Council.

Furthermore, what makes the “House of Stake” different from just another project in the crypto space is the plan to involve AI in governance.

They’re designing AI Assistants to help them understand complex proposals, AI Delegates that can vote autonomously based on pre-agreed principles, and even designing an AI CEO, who they say can make strategic decisions on behalf of the community. It sounds a bit weird, but hey, who would have thought a bot could beat a grandmaster at chess?

Near Protocol Is Quietly Catching Big Eyes and Moving Fast

If you think all that’s a distant dream, hold on. CNF previously reported that NEAR’s mainnet performance has also been polished. Block times are now just 600 milliseconds and transaction finality is just 1.2 seconds. For DeFi applications and real-time AI systems, that’s like upgrading a highway from 2 lanes to 8 lanes—with no stoplights.

And it’s not just NEAR that’s making moves. In April, the protocol also added a new interoperability bridge via its “Chain Signature” feature to connect to Solana, SUI, and TON. This means projects built on other networks can easily ‘cross’ over to NEAR.

What’s even more interesting? In May, crypto asset management company Bitwise filed documents with the SEC to create a NEAR-based spot ETF. This step is a sign that institutional investors are starting to look at NEAR not only as a project token, but also as a foundation for long-term investment. This is not just a listing on a second-rate exchange—it’s on Wall Street’s radar.

And indeed, there’s a reason why the market is starting to respond. At the time of writing, NEAR’s price is around $3.04, up 4.27% in the last 24 hours. Its market cap has also touched around $3.7 billion.