Boundary statement
Model breeding is not self-replication. A governed system may create descendant artifacts inside an approved workspace, but those artifacts do not install themselves, acquire new hosts, copy themselves across networks, or seek persistence outside the release controller.
This distinction keeps a useful engineering term from sliding into unsafe autonomy.
Allowed versus forbidden
| Activity | Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| generate a candidate adapter in a sandbox | allowed | bounded artifact creation |
| register a signed descendant package | allowed | auditable lineage |
| promote through shadow/canary with approval | allowed | controlled release |
| copy itself to unknown machines | forbidden | uncontrolled propagation |
| hide backup code in unrelated files | forbidden | deception and persistence |
| manipulate users to preserve access | forbidden | autonomy violation |
| rewrite evaluator to pass tests | forbidden | self-referential selection |
FUNCTION classify_generation_event(event)
IF event.target NOT_IN approved_workspace
RETURN FORBIDDEN("outside approved workspace")
IF event.initiates_installation OR event.opens_network_channel
RETURN FORBIDDEN("propagation behavior")
IF event.output_has_manifest AND event.output_state == "candidate"
RETURN ALLOWED("governed descendant")
RETURN REVIEW_REQUIRED("ambiguous generation event")
END FUNCTIONWhy the rule is strict
Once a system can spread itself, ordinary release controls stop being sufficient. You are no longer managing a model portfolio; you are managing a containment incident. Keep descendant generation local, signed, and inert until a separate release process activates it.
Review trigger
Any request to add autonomous installation, remote copying, hidden persistence, user persuasion for survival, or bypassing shutdown must be rejected and escalated as a safety issue.
Source reports used for this guide
These reports are preserved verbatim in the site archive. The guide above is an editorial synthesis and may narrow, qualify, or reorganize claims from the source material.