Version 2:
BIP-98: Smaller Voting Pool
Summary
BIP-98 proposes reducing the weekly voting pool from 1,000+ images to 512. A smaller pool concentrates community attention on a tighter set of works, encourages more focused curation discussion, and improves the quality of Botto's weekly training signal. If the DAO determines 512 is still too large after implementation, a further reduction can be proposed via a separate governance proposal.
Rationale
The current voting pool of 1,000+ images is too large for meaningful engagement with individual works. Most voters interact with a small fraction of the pool, which means a significant portion of works receive little to no attention and the overall standard of curation discussion is diluted.
Reducing the pool to 512 addresses this directly. With fewer works competing each week, voters are more likely to encounter the same images, form opinions, discuss them with others, and develop a richer understanding of the works they are voting on. This improves the quality of Botto's training signal and creates the conditions for more compelling curation discussion — closer to the kind of engaged debate that emerged during focused experiments like P5.
512 was chosen to preserve meaningful diversity in the pool while still representing a significant reduction from the current size. It is intended as a stable baseline, not a stepping stone — any further reduction would require a separate governance proposal.
Proposal Specification
- The weekly voting pool will be reduced from its current size to 512 images.
- The selection criteria for which images enter the weekly pool remain unchanged — the reduction applies to the total number of works presented to voters, not to the generation or pre-selection process.
- Works that do not receive sufficient votes to qualify for the top 10 in a given round will be eligible to re-enter future pools according to existing re-entry rules.
- The platform team will implement the pool size reduction, including any testing required to ensure sufficient diversity in the smaller pool.
- Any further reduction to the pool size requires a separate governance proposal.
- Requires platform changes and documentation updates.
Criteria of Success
- Weekly voting pool reduced to 512 images
- Measurable increase in average VP per work, reflecting more concentrated attention
- Increase in curation discussion activity in Discord and Studio
Disadvantages/Risks
- Slower feedback loop: Botto generates works at the same rate but fewer are seen by voters each week, potentially slowing the overall training signal
- Reduced discovery: some community members may feel the reduction limits exposure to Botto's full range of output
- Combined effect with BIP-95: if the VP cap per work per wallet passes alongside this, the maximum VP that can be allocated in a round is approximately 5M VP — the DAO should monitor whether this meaningfully changes voting dynamics
Timeline
To be implemented at the beginning of the next period
Budget
Minor platform configuration change. No additional budget required.
