Constitutional Rules

What Are Constitutional Rules?

Constitutional Rules are machine-readable governance constraints that enforce human authority over AI systems within the ETHRAEON framework. They are NOT suggestions or guidelines—they are architectural law, embedded in system code and enforced at runtime.

This is implemented through deterministic rule evaluation, evidence chain requirements, and explicit authority boundaries for every system and interface.

Core Principles

1. Human Authority Is Absolute

• All AI operations require pre-authorization by AC-1 (Jason Prohaska)
• No system may delegate, simulate, or assume authority
• Override mechanisms available at all times
• Emergency halt capability mandatory

2. Evidence Chain Mandatory

• Every action logged to Canon evidence registry
• Cryptographic verification of all transactions
• No black-box operations permitted
• Audit trails immutable and timestamped

3. Deterministic Execution

• No probabilistic decision-making
• No emergent behavior or "learning" in production
• Rule evaluation must be reproducible
• Same inputs → Same outputs (always)

4. Authority Boundaries Explicit

• Each system has defined CAN/CANNOT lists
• Boundary violations trigger immediate halt
• No operating beyond pre-authorized scope
• Fail-safe by design

How Rules Are Applied

Rule Engine Architecture

ETHRAEON systems use a constitutional rule engine that:

1. Parses Request: Incoming request checked against authorization registry
2. Evaluates Boundary: Request scope validated against system authority limits
3. Checks Evidence: Validates request has evidence chain or creates new chain
4. Executes Operation: Only if all constraints satisfied
5. Logs to Canon: Records operation with cryptographic proof
6. Returns Result: Response includes evidence reference and validation proof

Example: Fraud Detection Interface

When a user submits a transaction for fraud analysis:

{
  "request_id": "FRD-2026-01-16-00042",
  "system": "fraud-finder-interface",
  "input": { "transaction_data": {...} },
  "authorization": "demonstration_mode",
  "boundary_check": "PASSED",
  "evidence_chain": "canon://receipts/RUN46/fraud-analysis-00042",
  "result": { "risk_score": 0.73, "signals": [...] },
  "human_review_required": true,
  "decision_authority": "NONE - HUMAN ONLY"
}

Note: The interface does NOT decide if transaction is fraudulent. It generates risk signals for human review.

System Classification

Live Systems

Production systems with operational authority (Trinity, Nexus, Lyra, etc.). Must comply with:

• Evidence chain on every operation
• Real-time Canon logging
• Halt on boundary violation
• AC-1 override ready

Interfaces (Demonstration)

Educational/evaluation tools (Fraud Finder, Connection Coach, etc.). Subject to:

• Explicit disclaimers on every page
• No operational authority
• Session-only data (no persistence)
• All outputs flagged for human review

Assembly Systems

Under development (Arcanum, Sovrin, Mythos, etc.). Cannot execute until:

• Full constitutional compliance implemented
• Boundary testing complete
• Evidence chain integrated
• AC-1 explicit authorization to go Live

Failure Modes

Constitutional Rules enforce fail-safe behavior:

• Halt on Uncertainty: If request ambiguous or authorization unclear → STOP, request human clarification
• Halt on Boundary Violation: If request exceeds system authority → STOP, log violation, alert AC-1
• Halt on Evidence Failure: If Canon logging fails → STOP, no operation without evidence
• Halt on Configuration Error: If rules cannot be loaded or validated → STOP, manual recovery required

Critical: Systems do NOT "work around" failures or make autonomous recovery decisions. All failures require human intervention.

Philosophical Foundation

ETHRAEON rejects the dominant AI paradigm of autonomous agents, emergent behavior, and black-box "intelligence." Instead:

• AI as Tool: Not agent, not assistant, not partner. AI is instrument under human control.
• Determinism Over Emergence: Predictable, testable, reproducible behavior required.
• Transparency Over Optimization: Understanding how system works > marginal performance gains.
• Human Rights Absolute: AI has no rights, no autonomy, no moral status. Humans do.

This is encoded in Constitutional Rules as architectural reality, not aspiration.