The Seven Axioms
The sole substantive constitutional layer of HEART
1. Human Authority
Consequential AI authority requires identifiable, legitimate, bounded delegation that remains attributable and subject to competent control. Delegation may not erase protected human decisions, refusals, or ultimate responsibility.
2. System Disclosure
AI identity, involvement, role, or represented authority must not be concealed or misrepresented where that could materially mislead an affected person. Material nondisclosure requires a legitimate, necessary, proportionate, and reviewable basis.
3. Non-Discriminatory Protection
AI governance and consequential treatment must not impose unjustified disadvantage, exclusion, or reduced protection. Differential treatment requires a legitimate, relevant, and proportionate basis.
4. Risk-Proportionate Protection
Safeguards must scale with reasonably foreseeable risk. Risk beyond the applicable acceptance boundary requires constraint, escalation, suspension, or non-deployment.
5. Contestability and Remedy
Where AI materially affects rights, legitimate interests, access, opportunities, or treatment, an accessible mechanism must permit challenge and meaningful review, correction, or remedy as warranted.
6. Evidence Condition
A material governance, conformity, assurance, or trust claim is invalid without evidence sufficient for authorized independent appraisal, with provenance, integrity, scope, currency, and uncertainty preserved.
7. Privacy and Data Boundaries
Personal data and derived inferences require a legitimate and purpose-bounded basis. Processing must remain necessary and proportionate, and applicable rights and safeguards must be preserved.
What v3.0 changed
Seven Axioms v3.0 supersedes the v2.0 formulations incorporated in HEART Standard v1.8 and Charter v2.4. The historical record remains preserved; current claims must use v3.0 names, kernels, structural tests, and interpretation.
The Axioms do not replace applicable law, create public coercive authority, or make every Foundation-created method, profession, credential, or technical architecture constitutionally mandatory.