This document states three technical axioms that are treated as non-negotiable throughout this work.

They are not hypotheses, preferences, or design heuristics. They are constraints under which all subsequent architectures, models, and execution systems are considered valid.

Any system that violates these axioms falls outside the scope of this work.

Axiom I: Semantics must be external to models

Executable meaning must not reside inside model behavior.

Semantics must exist as an explicit, inspectable structure that constrains and evaluates model outputs, rather than being inferred from them.

Models may approximate intent. They must not define it.

This axiom establishes semantic primacy as a technical requirement, not a philosophical stance.

Axiom II: Execution must be conditionally complete

Execution is not defined by output production.

An execution is considered complete only when formally declared completion conditions are satisfied. These conditions must be expressible, evaluable, and auditable.

Absent explicit completion semantics, execution cannot be distinguished from partial behavior, failure, or uncontrolled side effects.

This axiom binds execution to semantic conditions, not to temporal or probabilistic signals.

Axiom III: Responsibility must be explicitly bound to execution

No execution authority exists without responsibility.

Responsibility must be explicitly granted, scoped, transferable only by declaration, and terminable under defined conditions.

Delegation without responsibility constitutes uncontrolled execution and is treated as architecturally invalid.

This axiom binds execution to accountability, independent of organizational or legal overlays.

Why axioms, not principles

Principles guide behavior. Axioms constrain possibility.

These axioms exist to prevent systems from drifting into:

  • Model-centric interpretation of meaning
  • Output-driven definitions of success
  • Execution without accountable actors

They define the minimal conditions under which AI systems can operate within institutional, legal, and cross-boundary contexts.

Scope clarification

These axioms do not prescribe:

  • Specific models
  • Optimization strategies
  • Organizational structures

They define the boundary within which such choices remain coherent.

Relationship to the foundations layer

These axioms summarize and constrain the foundational positions articulated elsewhere, including:

  • Semantic Primacy
  • Completion Semantics
  • Delegation & Responsibility Models
  • Intermediate Semantic Structures

They should be read as invariant constraints that precede all architectural discussion.

Reading note

Readers seeking detailed justification should consult the corresponding foundation documents.

Readers seeking to apply this work should treat these axioms as fixed.

They are not argued further. They are enforced.