A Cryptocurrency Company's Path to Silicon-Carbon Co-Governance — Cobo's Internal AI Transformation

Starting at the end of 2024, Cobo has been exploring the integration of AI and blockchain beyond its core crypto custody and stablecoin payment services.

Our earliest insight was the potential of MCP to standardize skills. In theory, if skills are sufficiently standardized, AI can invoke capabilities like plugins, making blockchain the most natural financial infrastructure for AI.

So we internally incubated an MCP application store. But it was quickly disproven.

At that time, AI barriers were still high, only mature engineers could use it proficiently. MCP wasn’t standardized enough; each integration was time-consuming, costly, slow to advance, and the results fell far short of expectations.

But the AI team was still built. It was expensive, hard to recruit for, and impossible to easily dismantle.

So we decided to change direction. Since we couldn’t transform our clients’ worlds yet, we would first transform ourselves.

The First Issue: Security

As an asset custody company, Cobo handles extremely sensitive data and internal technical processes. We have strict data hierarchies internally. But without data or real business input, it’s impossible to develop our own Agent.

Initially, we considered deploying local models. But in reality, local models didn’t meet the intelligence requirements. They could run, but weren’t user-friendly; they could answer, but weren’t smart enough.

In the end, we chose Claude and Gemini as the main models (with ZDR—Zero Data Retention—terms available for maximum isolation).

But large models are just the “brain” at the core of our business. The real complexity lies in data and permissions.

We later developed a comprehensive internal knowledge base and Agent framework.

Internal Knowledge Base + Cobo Self-Developed Agent System

The knowledge base manages internal data layering, assigning read permissions based on employee roles.

When Agents access the knowledge base, they inherit employee permissions, not a “god view.”

Details include:

• How to isolate network environments
• How to restrict cross-layer data flow
• How to control log retention for auditability
• How to prevent sensitive information leaks

These may not be glamorous, but they determine whether this system can run long-term. AI cannot be a security vulnerability.

After Building the Architecture: No One Uses It

Even today, the company still faces a harsh reality: many front-office teams dismiss AI.

If we only encourage usage, workflow changes won’t happen.

We later realized we had to start from company management.

First Breakthrough: OKR Agent

Our first major push wasn’t customer service or coding.

It was OKRs.

We used AI to decompose company strategy, help set OKRs, track progress, and review milestones.

In other words, transforming management from human-driven to a co-governance between silicon and carbon. This process is extremely uncomfortable for employees.

Previously, goals could be written more beautifully, and processes explained more reasonably. Now, weekly data is there, and excuses are fewer.

From that moment, goals weren’t just discussed in meetings—they became continuously recorded in the system.

Weekly OKR Monitoring of Business Progress

But it was only through performance management that everyone truly became familiar with AI, because if you don’t participate, it directly affects your compensation.

From Performance to Business: Fully Agent-Driven

Once OKRs were running smoothly, we began pushing internal service Agentization. We used competitions + bonuses to enforce each department to establish and operate their own relevant Agents.

Customer service created a Customer Service Agent. Legal developed a Contract Assistance Agent. Sales built a CRM Agent.

Finding the Most Quirky Customer Agents

In the end, over 100 Agents were launched.

We can’t precisely quantify the results of “silicon-carbon co-governance,” but one clear change is evident:

Previously, when problems arose, the first reaction was “should we hire another person?” Now, it’s “can we get the system involved first?”

This is our understanding of silicon-carbon co-governance. It’s not AI replacing humans, but humans getting used to working alongside systems.

Lessons from the Past Year

First, maintain healthy cash flow.

If the company’s cash flow isn’t healthy, this transformation can’t reach the finish line. AI isn’t a cost-saving tool; it’s an upfront investment for long-term structural upgrades. Thanks to Cobo’s core business, we have healthy cash flow.

Second, push from the top down.

Organizations won’t change spontaneously. Without strong management push, this effort will naturally fail.

As is well known, Cobo’s founders are heavy AI enthusiasts. CTO Dr. Jiang started AI research during his postdoc at CMU in the early 2000s.

Third, enforce mandatory use.

Encouragement alone keeps AI at the level of writing emails. Real process change must involve some “compulsion.”

Fourth, solve your own business first.

Many companies talk about AI + Web3, but if they haven’t internalized AI, they’re just talking concepts externally.

Looking Back

We can’t fully quantify this transformation. The company has shifted from “people-driven processes” to “goal-driven systems.”

If a truly “intelligent organization” emerges in the future, it won’t be through natural evolution. It will be pushed out through uncomfortable, iterative steps.

Because with everyone involved, the company better understands the real needs in the AI era.

This is also a byproduct of our internal transformation.

Recently, we launched Cobo Waas Skill. Cobo WaaS Skill is an integrated operational layer designed specifically for AI Coding Agents, enabling precise invocation of WaaS APIs through structured knowledge, executable examples, and scenario orchestration. We are upgrading wallet APIs into financial capability modules directly callable by AI Agents. Development cycles have shortened from weeks to dialogue-level.

This isn’t the result of a single product idea. It’s the natural spillover of our internal silicon-carbon co-governance.

We’re still exploring.

But at least, today’s Cobo is no longer the same company it was in 2024.