Principles of cooperation

Participants determine whether conditions are acceptable

AI helps clarify requirements and compare options. Decisions, consent and commitments remain with participants themselves, within their authority.

Understanding, agreement and feasibility are different things

Understanding does not mean agreement. Agreement does not mean feasibility. Fulfilling individual commitments does not, by itself, guarantee achievement of the shared goal.

Changes are agreed explicitly

A change in circumstances should help reveal affected dependencies and prepare revisions to conditions. The system must not change agreements unnoticed on participants’ behalf.

Results are checked against agreed criteria

A “completed” record does not, by itself, prove completion. Acceptance criteria and authority must be clear to the parties.

Privacy and proportionality

Disclose only necessary information and only to those with grounds for access. The costs of clarification and verification must be included when assessing benefits.

An acceptable agreement is not always possible

Interests may be incompatible and resources insufficient. Recording commitments does not, by itself, remove power imbalances or create trust.

How to seek acceptable conditions for collaboration · How the approach’s benefits are evaluated