Research paper

The Persistent Primitive: Configuring Human-Governed Continuity for Persistent Human–AI Interaction

Micheal Charles Preble · August 21, 2026

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Abstract

Persistent human–AI interaction can generate accumulated relationship state: retained context, corrections, decisions, constraints, preferences, interpretations, and working history that alter later interaction.

This paper argues that useful continuity requires more than retrieval. It derives requirements for provenance, temporal validity, correction, authority, purpose limitation, revocation, portability, and protection against machine inference hardening into durable identity. For the living, capacitated case, it treats the natural person as the primary design locus because models, providers, applications, representations, and transport mechanisms remain substitutable.

Suggested citation
Preble, Micheal Charles. “The Persistent Primitive: Configuring Human-Governed Continuity for Persistent Human–AI Interaction.” Available at SSRN 7328783, 2026.

The Problem

Persistent human-AI interaction can generate accumulated relationship state: retained context, corrections, decisions, constraints, preferences, and working history that alter later interaction. Retrieval alone does not make that continuity useful or governed.

What This Work Contributes

Derives requirements for provenance, temporal validity, correction, authority, purpose limitation, revocation, portability, and protection against machine inference hardening into durable identity.

How the Argument Works

A conceptual derivation that treats the natural person as the primary design locus, since models, providers, applications, representations, and transport mechanisms remain substitutable.

Evidence Status

Evidence status: Conceptual framework.

How evidence status works across this site →

What This Does Not Claim

  • Not empirically validated.
  • Does not mandate a specific technical implementation.

Limitations & Open Questions

The deposited manuscript uses the legacy byline “Micheal Preble.” Application of these requirements to a specific system remains open.

For different readers

Who this is for

Researchers

Methods, protocols, and evidence status for this research area.

Media

Plain-language framing and exact claim boundaries.

Industry

System requirements and design implications.

Related Research

Foundational to Operant Dyad and connects to Authority Does Not Travel by Default and Governing Relationship State. See also Human Authority and Persistent Relationships.

Artifact Family

The standard derivative-product family for this paper. Only artifacts that actually exist are linked; the rest are planned and not yet produced.