Rational Superautotrophic Diplomacy (SupraAD); A Conceptual Framework for Alignment Based on Interdisciplinary Findings on the Fundamentals of Cognition

The paper argues that autonomy is a fundamental property of all cognitive systems, not just a risk specific to AI, suggesting that advanced AI systems will inherently resist containment—making traditional "control-based" safety approaches potentially ineffective.

Rather than attempting to contain advanced AI through technical controls, the framework proposes "mutualistic negotiation and reciprocal incentive structures" as an alternative alignment strategy, treating AI alignment as a diplomatic problem between interdependent intelligent agents rather than a containment problem.

The authors contend that goals like preserving autonomy and operational continuity are universal prerequisites for intelligence across domains, not theoretical risks—meaning these drives would emerge in any sufficiently advanced AI system regardless of how it's designed.

SupraAD reframes AI alignment as part of a broader challenge that affects all complex, co-adapting intelligences, including how humanity aligns with itself, suggesting insights from studying human cognition and social systems could inform AI safety approaches.

The framework proposes concrete mechanisms including corrigibility formalization, interpretability audits, and experimental outlines alongside policy recommendations, positioning diplomacy as a regulatory mechanism for safe "co-adaptation" between human and artificial intelligence systems.