Temporal drift becomes unstable when time is present in the source but absent from the reconstructed answer.
What the phenomenon looks like
An obsolete version continues to circulate because it is archived, cited, mirrored, summarized, or remembered more strongly than the current one. The system treats the old statement as still alive.
Why it happens
Generative systems do not inherently privilege the newest version. They privilege salience, repetition, document stability, and the persistence of older signals across the web.
Why it matters
Temporal drift makes version control a public issue. The problem is no longer what the site says now, but which version of the site the environment still keeps available for synthesis.
What must be governed
- Mark version boundaries, effective dates, and superseded states in a machine-legible way.
- Reduce the coexistence of contradictory historical states across on-site and off-site surfaces.
- Govern memory rather than assuming that publication alone erases obsolete interpretation.
