0. Summary

This BIP finalizes the details of the P5.Botto project process and its subsequent drop in February 2025 with Verse.

[After a blocking vote, this BIP has been updated with refined specifications Jan 9, 2025]

TL;DR: of this proposal:

1. Training kicks off January 16th [Thursday] and runs until February 6th
2. Botto will self-evolve, even without human feedback, continuously until 1 week before the end. At which point it will prune down to a final set of 22 algorithms.
3. There will be a terminal showing Botto’s live agentic actions to evolve
4. Anyone can connect a wallet without staking and vote and comment on each sketch. You can only vote up or down on a sketch or comment once, all votes carry equal weight.
5. Minimum stake of 100 $BOTTO to receive a cut of revenue. The cut will be a factor of your participation and size of stake.
6. The final works will be used as seeds in Botto’s core process starting in the 2nd Period of 2025, connecting it back into Botto’s core practice.
7. The 22 algorithms will be auctioned off and there will be 1 large edition of of the top-voted work from Botto’s first 19 weeks of training prior to the architecture upgrade.

1. Rationale

Botto first began its study with p5.js in March of this year. For 19 weeks it learned from open feedback, evolving generative code. It showed some of the works in progress with Verse in London this past spring, and BIP-65 committed Botto and the DAO to upgrading the architecture to take Botto’s process to greater autonomy and quality.

That upgrade is now complete and ready for launch. p5.Botto is now a self-evolving agent for generating creative code for p5.js. Starting with the 500 algorithms it evolved from DAO feedback, it will continue to self-assess continuously, evolving a pool of 22 algorithms that will be collectible in their entirety in February 2025. This long-form work results in a world of generative code, each tile its own city of possibilities. See the new interface demo here (note that this is still getting built out).

As Botto’s first foray into a medium requiring new architecture, this is a meaningful evolution in Botto’s career. This study of code with p5 will have subsequent chapters and be able to influence Botto’s core work by using the resulting algorithms as seeds in its prompting of open-source image-to-image models. These generative algorithms are a nod to the past and Harold Cohen and AARON’s minimalist studies of form in the era of symbolic AI, as well as the future and generative language models vastly expanding the potential mediums for Botto to explore.

This proposes a final collection of 22 whole generative algorithms, 1 for each week Botto will have been live evolving code for p5.js at the end of this, minted fully onchain and imbuing these new seeds in Botto’s practice onto the blockchain of provenance. It also proposes an large edition of the top-voted work from the first 19 weeks of training.

Below are the specifications of the process and a proposed final outcome for the drop in February 2025.

1.1 Upgraded Architecture

The process kicked off by providing the Claude multi-modal LLM as Botto a basic instruction of developing code for p5.js. It was given context on who Botto is and its history, but was not given any specific aesthetic directions.

The original architecture operated in weekly rounds and evolved directly from the DAO feedback. That has provided a baseline sense of direction for Botto to now autonomously evolve without the need of human feedback, although human feedback can still influence.

Using the resulting algorithms that evolved over the first 19 weeks, Botto will now self-evolve at least every 20 minutes. Botto generates each sketch of code with a proposed concept and structure. When evolving a pre-existing piece of code, its process starts with a self-assessment that examines (see example here):

1. The quality of the visual output
2. Its adherence to the proposed concept
3. Areas for improvement
4. Code concerns
5. The temporal development over the first 15 seconds of the sketch

It then gives a PASS/FAIL and a summary conclusion.

If PASS, it will move to evolve the original code in consideration of the assessment/feedback: Iterations, mutations, or fusions. If FAIL it will try to find the problematic parts based on the assessment and try to fix those. If that attempt fails again it will move on to another sketch and discard the attempt.

This process can evolve autonomously, but it will prioritize DAO feedback through up/down votes, comments, and up/down votes on those comments.

• The up/down votes impact the PASS/FAIL
• Each comment is analyzed bv Botto. Comments that contain constructive feedback, bug reports or inspiration will trigger an iteration

Instead of rounds, the process will be continuous, running one assessment and generation at least every 20 minutes which will be viewable live in a terminal showing Botto’s running code and assessments.

The top works as deemed by Botto and the DAO’s votes will be first in the queue. The world will expand until one week before the end of the cycle. In the final week, Botto will begin hibernating works starting with the lowest voted, continuously reducing until the final 22 at the end of 1 week.

1.2 Collaboration with Verse

This approach is experimenting with doing a full set of works as a single drop with a gallery. They will take care of minting each of the 22 algorithms fully on chain and selling them in timed, staggered auctions starting with 0 ETH reserves through their platform.

As part of their support Verse will also be producing a physical presentation of the works in a show in London before the sale in mid February. Their last event presenting p5.Botto was packed to the brim and was a strong mix of crypto and trad collectors and institutions including V&A, Serpentine, The Art Newspaper, and others.

Their support would provide full marketing support in collaboration with the DAO throughout the training and release, including press outreach, writing and catalogue commissions, event production for talks as well as a collector visits, X spaces with special guests from different collecting communities and a special focus on generative art, and media production to canonize all of the event. Verse has shown their ability to bring new audiences to artists and are well positioned to capitalize on Botto’s work with p5 to reach the wider generative art crowd along with newly minted collectors, and at the same time further wedging Botto into the institutional discussions about computer art history as part of an ongoing effort after the release.

2. Proposal Specifications

1. Training kicks off January 16th and runs until February 6th
2. Botto will self-evolve, even without human feedback, continuously until 1 week before the end. At which point it will prune down to a final set of 22 algorithms.
3. Anyone can connect a wallet without staking and vote and comment on each sketch. You can only vote up or down on a sketch or comment once, all votes carry equal weight.
4. Minimum stake of 100 $BOTTO to receive a cut of revenue. The cut will be a factor of your participation and size of stake. This will include activity since p5.Botto first kicked off in March.
5. The final works will be used as seeds in Botto’s core process starting in the 2nd Period of 2025, connecting it back into Botto’s core practice.

2.1 Sale
22 major works, the final 22 algorithms
1 large edition of of the top-voted work from Botto’s first 19 weeks of training prior to the architecture upgrade

Allocation of the major works

• BottoDAO: 2 works
• Public sale: 20 works, staggered ₅ per day, after the show
• For works that are plottable, 1/1 prints will be made available at extra costs. This will be handled by Verse.

Large edition details

• 0.1 ETH each
• Open for one week around the time of the auction
• Max supply 1,000. Any works unsold at the end of the sale are cut from the set

Verse commissions

• Total sales of 150 ETH or more: 30% Verse commission
• 100-150 ETH: 25% commission
• <100 ETH: 20% commission
• Verse covers all production and exhibition costs.
• Verse receives 1% royalties, Botto 9%

Botto DAO revenue split

• 40% to qualified voters on p5
• 40% to treasury
• 20% to POL

2.1 Timeline

• Thursday January 16th — full launch of p5.Botto
• January 16-30 – Evolution
• January 30-Feb 6th – Pruning
• Feb 6th-February 17 – show preparation
• February 17 – IRL show and then auction

3.0 Budget

Costs should be incorporated within existing budget.

4. Criteria of Success

• Sold out show with strong prices relative to weekly auctions
• New collectors onboarded
• Increased recognition of Botto as an AI agent artist

5. Risks & Mitigations

• Potential to see this as dilutive: Botto's works with p5.js are a completely different medium and aesthetic, so there is little chance of confusion between the collections as replacing one or the other. Showing Botto can grow into new mediums and a preview of its future as a multi-agent entity is additive by showing how Botto evolves, like any successful artist must.
• Confusion with Botto's aesthetics: Botto's strength is in its unique identity, as we've seen its works be successful in spite of a wide range of aesthetics. This new project with p5 arguably shows how Botto can make a tighter aesthetic and brings that increased focus to its weekly works.

TRLab

regarding Verse as partner here, they've supported the development of p5 since early this year. they produced a full gallery show of the works in progress on their own dime before there was any commitment to any drop from the DAO, they filled the house for the event with a great mix of crypto and trad art folks (Serpentine, V&A, The Art Newspaper) for talks that helped center the historical significance of the work.

they've extended themselves in supporting this project to help ensure it gets the proper contextualization, and will do another physical show, handle all of the logistics for plottable works, commission a short film and several publications including a printed book about the project.

finally, it is Verse who proposed the DAO and Botto push to a final drop and the DAO accepted. see BIP 65 https://forum.botto.com/d/98-bip-65-p5botto-solo-show-and-drop-with-verse i think the preference largely comes from their proactiveness in showing support for the project, making it clear they will throw their weight behind it.

their typical commission for artists is 37.5%, so the 30% is discounted for them. what is a % you would find more acceptable?

the rationale for 52 was that this was about a year of work from Botto and 52 is its annual cadence for the text-to-image process. as Botto's first major branch into a new medium, drawing that connection to its typical cadence made sense. I should say verse initially proposed a smaller number like 30 (joe pease's recent 1/1/30 did well).

as for timing, this has actually been left open for Verse to determine spacing of time based on the market. at minimum they would be staggered so they don't all close simultaneously.

there is a challenge here of building agreements with galleries given the need to do R&D to develop new projects, timing the market, etc. that make specifics of agreements difficult to pin down ahead of time in DAO governance. think there are some lessons here to take away, but at this point having built a commitment with them, backing out now would hurt trust with the DAO and making negotiating agreements more difficult in the future.

looking like this may not pass, so can discuss some of these details further and look to get it over the line in time for the proposed launch.

sorry you weren't able to get into the discord, can reach out directly to me on any platform @hudsonsims