THE COGNITIVE INTEGRITY CHECKPOINT (CIC)
A real-time, three-question test for meaning stability in human–machine operations.
Meaning drift doesn’t start with the model.
It starts when the interpretive layer begins to wobble under pressure, ambiguity, or substrate mismatch.
The CIC gives operators, analysts, and commanders a 10-second sanity check before drift becomes decision degradation.
Checkpoint Question 1 - Is the interpretation stable?
Has the meaning stayed consistent across updates, teams, and time intervals?
Signal of stability:
Same interpretation appears across humans + AI
No unexplained shift in narrative, vectors, or frames
Signal of drift:
Interpretations diverge without a substrate change
Operators begin compensating for the model
This is the earliest warning that coherence is bending.
Checkpoint Question 2 - Is the substrate unchanged?
Did anything upstream shift - inputs, conditions, load, or pressure?
If the substrate changed, the interpretation should shift.
If the substrate didn’t change and the interpretation still shifted?
That’s drift physics - and it compounds fast.
Look for:
Environmental changes
Data profile shifts
Stress, tempo, bandwidth strain
Ambiguity spikes
Adversarial noise
If the substrate is unstable, the meaning will be too.
Checkpoint Question 3 - Is human–AI symmetry intact?
Are humans and machines orienting to the same frame, or are they compensating for each other?
Green zone:
Shared frame
Shared context
Shared decision logic
Yellow zone:
Humans rewriting outputs
AI trying to “correct” inconsistent cues
Mild divergence
Red zone:
Operators forcing meaning
System forcing alignment
Friction, confusion, or silence
When symmetry breaks, coherence collapses.
CIC Summary (Operator Sheet Version)
Before committing to any decision path, ask:
1. Did the meaning hold?
2. Did the substrate change?
3. Are humans and AI still in the same frame?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all three, you’re not operating with Cognitive Integrity - you’re flying blind.
The CIC doesn’t replace models.
It protects the meaning that makes them useful.
This is how you stop drift before it begins.