Background
Aurora stands out in the Web3 space as the first network to release an official NFT collection (Aurobots), with Aurora Labs setting Aurobot #77 as its iconic social media mascot, and consequently making Aurobots the front face of the EVM network.
What is notable, is that Aurora Labs has made a conscious decision to offer tangible benefits to Aurobots NFT holders when using the network, a concept which hasn’t fully been explored before. Holders currently experience an increase in the free transactions granted by the Aurora+ service.
However, this is unfortunately an intrinsically ‘selfish’ feature. Free transactions are good for Aurobot holders, but they ultimately do nothing to advance the health of the network, the community, and its participants. This means that the scarcity of the NFT collection, coupled with its inherent individual benefits, runs a risk of turning Aurobots into a collection that isn’t aligned with the decentralised community-driven ethos of Aurora.
Aurora Labs has proposed no new plans for the Aurobots collection since its launch, while keeping Aurobot #77 as the main mascot of the Aurora network. Considering this, the Aurobots Collective is forming a community-led effort by Aurobot holders to:
- Explore potential use-cases of Aurobots in harmony with the current direction of the Aurora network
- Contribute to the long-term success of Aurora, by growing and preserving the underlying branding and imagery of its main mascot.
Proposal: The Aurobots Ambassador Initiative
The Aurobots Collective proposes the AuroraDAO votes to take the first official step as part of a planned initiative to transform Aurobot holders into recognised community ambassadors of the Aurora network.
As outlined in this proposal, we propose the first steps to this Ambassador Initiative come in the form below:
- An Increase in $VOTE rewards for Aurobots holders staking $AURORA on Aurora+. This should be a set amount agreed upon by the AuroraDAO, with the collective recommending either a x1.5 or x2 boost in $VOTE distribution
Why $VOTE token?
$VOTE is a concept introduced by @Alex in his ‘Further Decentralisation of Governance’ proposal. A blog on the aurora.dev website gives a holistic overview on the relationship between the $VOTE token, the elections, and the AuroraDAO council. We recommend you familiarise with the concept if you haven’t already.
The Aurobots Ambassador Initiative focuses on governance via Aurora+, as this will offer a non-monetary benefit that encourages wider community participation in the Aurora ecosystem.
The Road Ahead (Future Possibilities for the Ambassador Initiative)
The ability for the community to remove council members “mid-term” is an important check / balance. Should there be an established, standalone process for this or would the formal / informal proposal process be the main conduit for this kind of action? - @franklin-pantera
Given the council elections are meant to take place soon, the Aurobots Ambassador Initiative opens up a reasonable solution to have the wider Aurora community take action to remove certain council members if they act in bad faith or lose trust from the wider Aurora ecosystem.
By shifting the focus of Aurobots utility to governance instead of free transactions, it is expected that both active and (ex) inactive council members, as well as ecosystem participants with a vested interest in the health of the network will want to own an Aurobot to become ambassadors of the network. A system can be set in place where the majority of Ambassadors can band together and vote to remove a council member.
This is beyond the scope of the current proposal, but we encourage the entire community to think where the Aurora Ambassador initiative can take the network.
Potential Risks
Shifting the focus of Aurobots to governance naturally comes with certain added risks to the security of the network.
To mitigate these risks, we suggest to increase $VOTE rewards by a (reasonable) set amount via staking to ensure only Aurobot holders who care about the network and stake long-term will see any benefits from this feature (instead of benefits gained by simply holding the NFT). It also provides a continuing use case that incentives ecosystem participation and engagement in the network.
Moreover, the Aurobots Ambassador initiative is a viable proposal because Aurora Labs has taken the steps of airdropping Aurobots to the wider Aurora community. This prevents any large scale malpractices with its distribution.
Conversely, in a somewhat antithetical manner, Aurora Labs currently owns around 17 additional Aurobots according to Endemic. These are most likely airdrops that weren’t claimed. Regardless, to start with approx. 17/111 Aurobots gives the Aurora Labs team a healthy $VOTE boost in the early stages of governance, while they can be distributed moving forward.
Ultimately, the Aurobots Ambassador initiative serves to consolidate the Aurobots together with the current direction of Aurora+, while expanding upon the unique use-case of having a decentralised network with an official NFT collection.
Responsible Party
- AuroraDAO: vote to increase $VOTE rewards by a suitable amount for Aurobot holders in addition to the existing free transaction boost
- Aurora Labs: implement the $VOTE feature into Aurora+ and spread awareness to the Ambassador Initiative
Aurobots
An exclusive NFT collection designed by Lomakin to celebrate the launch of Aurora+
Aurobots Introduction [Aurora Labs]
Aurobots Collection [Endemic Marketplace]
Aurobots Ambassador Initiative
A community-led initiative proposed by the Aurobots Collective. The current proposal has been drafted by @Aurobot99 after internal discussions within the collective surrounding the future of the Aurora network.
