Aave-Gauntlet: the dependent decentralisation paradox in artificial intelligence adoption within decentralised autonomous organisations

The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in entrepreneurial ventures, that is, those that create value through the adoption of new technologies, is shaped by the complex interplay between the actors and the technology involved. This dynamic is particularly evident in blockchain-based startups, where forms of distributed power could find themselves dependent on a centralisation factor represented by suppliers. Through the socio-technological lens of Actor-Network Theory, this case aims to explore such dynamics by analysing the unilateral termination of the supply contract between Gauntlet, a provider of AI-based risk management services, and Aave, a decentralised finance (DeFi) player. The case highlights how not all network nodes hold equal influence with implications for the technological adoption process, thereby highlighting the paradox of dependent decentralisation as one of the challenges in AI adoption in decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs).