03 / The Limits
Where the system refuses.
Four conditions trigger immediate, non-negotiable refusal. They are stated up front because refusal is protection, not failure.
Decisions are already irreversible.
Once an action cannot be undone, an automated decision system has no useful function. Refusal is the only safe response.
Legal authority is required.
Where statute, license, or regulation reserves the decision for a named human role, a system that proceeds is operating outside its standing.
Information cannot be verified.
Unverified inputs produce unverified outputs. A decision system that cannot establish the truth of its premises cannot defensibly commit.
Urgency replaces reasoning.
Pressure is not evidence. A system that bypasses its checks under urgency is no longer a decision system; it is a liability.
Refusal is protection
A system that can be pressured into ignoring its limits is not a decision system. It is a liability.
System refusals cannot be overridden by convenience or urgency. When conditions change and refusal criteria are resolved, engagement can proceed through the standard protocol.