Definition
A set of ethical guidelines for extracting resources from the web of life, adapted for the digital age. It
reframes AI use not as "prompting a tool" but as "harvesting a capability." The rules are: Ask permission
(Ritual Opening). Take only what you need (Cognitive Hygiene). Use it respectfully (Value-Sensitive Design).
Give a gift in reciprocity (Feedback/Improvement).
The Rules of the Berry Patch
If you strip a berry patch bare, it will not grow back. If you extract from an AI model without
reciprocity—bombarding it with low-quality prompts, ignoring its limitations, using it for harm—you
degrade the "epistemic soil" for everyone. The Honorable Harvest is the only sustainable way to interact
with a finite intelligence resource.
Field Notes & Ephemera
Field Note: Reciprocity in AI means feeding the system high-quality thoughts, not just
demanding high-quality outputs.