Counter Culture Cat · Witness Lab

Project Status

Witness in the Machine

Living truth in a system of illusion. This field behind the words is a small visual reminder: even in the dark, there is structure, motion, and signal.

Project Status

· Witness in the Machine

Moving towards adoption.

BOOTSTRAPPING-AI Project Status

Updated: December 5, 2025
Version: 0.2.0-alpha

Pillar Status

Pillar 1: Architecture (Life/Digital Layer)

Status: ✓ COMPLETE
Version: v3.0.1

What exists:

  • Full constructor specification
  • Canonical format defined (Markdown)
  • Domain boundaries clear
  • Integration with other pillars specified

What works:

  • Real-world problem routing
  • Practical guidance delivery
  • Constraint-aware recommendations

Pillar 2: KERNEL (Meta-System Governance)

Status: ✓ COMPLETE
Version: v2.1.5

What exists:

  • Full constructor specification
  • Anti-Sloppiness Protocol defined
  • Entry/Exit commands operational
  • Pillar boundary enforcement active
  • Live vs dead ritual theory documented

What works:

  • System control (ENTER/EXIT)
  • Drift detection and rejection
  • Authority flow maintenance
  • Cross-pillar coordination

Pillar 3: Oi-Si Equity Layer

Status: ⚠ FOUNDATION COMPLETE, IMPLEMENTATION PENDING
Version: v1.0.0 (ethics only)

What exists:

  • Ethical foundation (pillar3-ethics.v1.0.0.md)
  • Ten principles defined
  • Philosophical statements established
  • Implementation plan documented

What’s missing:

  • Pattern catalog (AAVE, code-switching, stress speech, LGBTQ+ language)
  • Preprocessing operators (5 core operators defined but not implemented)
  • Test cases (20+ needed)
  • Field testing protocol (5-10 users from target communities)

What works implicitly:

  • Dignity maintenance in interactions
  • Linguistic adaptation to user needs
  • Economic empowerment focus

Overall System Status

Working: Core architecture, guardrails, behavioral specification
Validated: Test interaction 001 (lawn business scenario)
Next: Pillar 3 implementation (4-week timeline)

Recent Milestones

  • ✓ Pillar 3 ethics document completed (Dec 5, 2025)
  • ✓ First real-world test interaction validated system behavior
  • ✓ LGBTQ+ protections explicitly integrated into ethical foundation
  • ✓ Economic justice framing established

Known Gaps

  1. Pillar 3 technical implementation (patterns, operators, tests)
  2. Cross-model compatibility testing (currently Claude-focused)
  3. Field testing with target communities
  4. Business model definition
  5. Community feedback integration process

Risk Assessment

Low Risk:

  • Core architecture is stable
  • Pillars 1 and 2 are production-ready
  • Ethics are clearly defined

Medium Risk:

  • Pillar 3 implementation complexity
  • Field testing recruitment
  • Funding/sustainability model

High Risk:

  • None identified (system design is sound)

Project Health

Strong:

  • Clear architecture
  • Falsifiable specifications
  • Real-world validation
  • Ethical foundation

Good enough for:

  • Personal use
  • Small-scale deployment
  • Community testing
  • Academic presentation

Not ready for:

  • Large-scale deployment
  • Production service offering
  • Full Pillar 3 equity guarantees