Narrative Provenance
The term gained traction during the "Black Box" debates of 2024. As models became more capable, they became less interpretable. Architectural Transparency argues that trust is not built on results (accuracy) but on process (visibility). It demands that AI systems show their work—providing citations, reasoning traces ("Chain of Thought"), and confidence scores. It is the antidote to the "Magic Trick" of generative AI, insisting that we must see the wires to trust the illusion.
Field Notes & Ephemera
The X-Ray Failure: In early 2025, researchers attempted to map the "knowledge neurons" of GPT-5. They found that concepts were distributed so diffusely that no single "neuron" held the concept of "truth." The architecture was transparent, but the mind was still opaque.
Ephemera: "Glass Box Protocol." A failed industry standard that required all AI agents to log every token choice to a public ledger. It was abandoned due to the "Observer Effect"—models performed worse when they "knew" they were being watched.