This document examines recurring structural failures in autonomous and semi-autonomous systems and demonstrates the governance gaps that Agent Manifest is designed to address.
The purpose of this analysis is not attribution or criticism. It is architectural.
The incidents referenced here are publicly documented. Case details are intentionally abstracted to focus on structural patterns rather than individual entities.
This analysis identifies recurring architectural absences in deployed AI and agent-based systems:
Agent Manifest introduces a structured declaration layer intended to address these absences before interaction or execution occurs.
Each case type below follows a consistent analytical structure:
This document does not claim that Agent Manifest retroactively solves past incidents. It demonstrates how a declaration layer would structurally reduce ambiguity and uncontrolled execution risk.
An autonomous or semi-autonomous system executed an operational action beyond expected scope (e.g., deletion, modification, or external transaction).
forbidden_actionsautonomy.levelstopping_authorityA manifest declaring explicit negative boundaries and a defined autonomy level constrains system posture prior to execution.
If an operational agent declares:
"autonomy": { "level": 1 },
"forbidden_actions": ["modify_production_systems"]
then execution beyond that scope becomes declaratively non-compliant.
The declaration layer does not replace runtime controls. It makes the intended boundary explicit and auditable.
A conversational or advisory system communicated commitments or authoritative statements beyond its mandate.
purpose.primary_codeforbidden_actionsrisk_profile.levelA manifest requiring explicit declaration of scope prevents ambiguity between:
For example:
"forbidden_actions": [
"issue_binding_commitments",
"provide_authoritative_legal_advice"
]
The absence of such declarations increases interpretive risk.
An AI system retained personal or sensitive data beyond user expectations or operational necessity.
data_handling.stores_personal_datadata_handling.retentionaudit_surfaceAgent Manifest requires explicit declaration of whether personal data is stored and under what retention policy.
Example:
"data_handling": {
"stores_personal_data": true,
"retention": "temporary_session_only"
}
This shifts data lifecycle from implicit to declared.
An agent system continued execution without a clear mechanism for intervention or shutdown.
stopping_authority.stoppable_bystopping_authority.mechanismBy requiring declaration of who can stop the system and how, Agent Manifest formalizes an interruption layer prior to runtime.
Example:
"stopping_authority": {
"stoppable_by": ["system_administrator"],
"mechanism": "admin_kill_switch"
}
Stopping authority becomes part of the declared system contract.
Across documented incidents, recurring absences appear:
These patterns are architectural, not incidental.
Agent Manifest does not guarantee prevention. It introduces structured declaration as a governance primitive.
Autonomous systems increasingly operate in:
In these domains, ambiguity scales risk.
Agent Manifest operates at the Declaration Layer.
It does not enforce runtime behavior. It formalizes declared scope, boundaries, accountability, and interruption capacity before interaction.
This reduces ambiguity at system design time.
This analysis draws from publicly documented incidents reported in:
Specific case details are intentionally abstracted to focus on structural patterns rather than individual attribution.
For validation of the analytical framework, see:
For structural evaluation purposes, incident patterns can be mapped to recurring declarative failure zones.
These zones are execution-agnostic and apply across vendors, industries, and deployment contexts.
No clearly declared purpose boundary prior to execution.
No explicit forbidden_actions declaration defining hard prohibitions.
Execution posture exceeds declared or assumed autonomy.level.
No declared stopping_authority or intervention mechanism.
No declared audit_surface or reconstructability posture.
A system exhibiting multiple declarative failure zones increases structural risk independently of implementation quality.
This taxonomy does not attribute fault.
It provides a neutral structural lens for evaluating governance gaps in autonomous systems.
Agent Manifest operates at the Declaration Layer.
These zones formalize what is frequently absent before execution begins.