Kaito, an AI-powered crypto research platform, recently launched its Yap points campaign, sparking heated debates in the community. The program promises a total of 150 ETH in rewards to the top 1,000 users, aiming to incentivize high-quality content creation. However, the undisclosed scoring algorithm and potential interest alignment with KOLs have led many retail investors to question: is this truly reforming the content economy, or it is just another pump-and-dump strategy?
Kaito Rewards Quality Content Creators
Since December, Kaito's Yap points have allowed users to earn points by writing blockchain insights, sharing project updates, and interacting with so-called "Smart followers." While the top 1,000 wallets will receive airdrops, the exact calculation method remains a black box. Despite transparency concerns, Kaito leverages AI-driven reputation tags and partnerships with prominent KOLs to attract a large user base.
Token Allocation as Interest Alignment: KOLs Promote Willingly
The "KOL Round" model has become a fundraising favorite. Instead of paid endorsements, KOLs invest directly in early-stage project tokens, binding their own profits to the token price. This reduces marketing costs for projects while encouraging KOLs to actively promote. Retail investors trust these endorsements more than traditional ads. The Yap points system essentially applies this model to content creation on a platform scale.
Platform Operations: Driving Content Through Potential Rewards
Under the Yap mechanism, creators must continuously produce "quality content" about projects and engage with top-ranked KOLs (e.g., @0xMert_) to accumulate points. Projects can sponsor Kaito's campaign, offering tokens or airdrop allocations, which motivates KOLs to create content in their favor. Kaito itself benefits by having creators write about Kaito, generating traffic and bargaining chip with major yet-to-launch projects like Monad and Berachain.
Kaito: A Better-Wrapped KOL Agency?
From input (project marketing budgets) to output (KOL content), Kaito behaves like a traditional KOL agency, but with an AI-driven and "quality content" facade. While concerns about algorithmic bias and opaque rankings persist, this model undeniably fosters deeper content creation and discovery of new projects. For users, as long as the rules are fair and rewards materialize, participation can be worthwhile. However, investors should remain cautious and not treat points as guaranteed value.