Glossary of interpretive governance

This glossary maps the observable phenomena that arise when AI systems — LLMs, generative engines, agents, and RAG pipelines — reconstruct meaning from partial signals. In a web interpreted by machines, visibility no longer guarantees existence in the response.

The objective here is simple: to name, classify, and connect these phenomena to canonical definitions, applicable frameworks, and proof-oriented articles.

How to use this glossary

• To understand a term, open its canonical definition in /definitions/.
• To apply a method, open the associated framework in /frameworks/.
• To explore concrete cases and implications, consult the linked articles under each family.

Families of phenomena

Each family below serves as an entry point. It groups together closely related terms and points toward a canonical definition, an applicable framework when relevant, and one or two supporting articles.

1) Drifts and inertia

Drifts, instabilities, and inertia effects that degrade the fidelity of a response over time or across layers of aggregation.

Open the family “Drifts and inertia”.

2) Canon, authority, non-response

Boundaries of legitimacy: what may be inferred, what must be refused, and how conflicts are handled without inventing.

Open the family “Canon, authority, non-response”.

3) Proof, audit, observability

What makes an interpretation measurable, auditable, and stabilizable: proofs, traces, metrics, and version discipline.

4) Capture, contamination, collisions

Signal warfare and exogenous deformation: framing capture, neighborhood contamination, and entity collisions.

Open the family “Capture, contamination, collisions”.

5) Agentic, RAG, environments

Differences in application surfaces: the open web, closed environments, RAG pipelines, and tooled agents.

Open the family “Agentic, RAG, environments”.

6) Sustainability, debt, correction

The real costs of maintenance and correction over time: interpretive debt, correction budget, resorption, and sustainability.

Open the family “Sustainability, debt, correction”.

Interpretive risk glossary

The historical glossary dedicated to interpretive risk remains relevant and is integrated into the broader map of the site:

• Interpretive risk glossary

Canonical anchor points

• Interpretive governance (definition)
• Interpretive debt (definition)
• Interpretive sustainability (definition)