Frameworks
Frameworks are how we stay oriented when the pace rises.
This page collects the frameworks that power Balance the Triangle Labs: how we see the world, name risk, and design safeguards that can survive scale.
The core lens: Balance the Triangle
The triangle names a simple reality: risk emerges when one domain outruns the others. (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
- Science & Technology: what becomes possible
- Human Behavior: how people actually respond (especially under pressure)
- Ethics & Governance: the safeguards, rules, and accountability that shape deployment
Start with the explainer:
The core diagnosis: The Gap
A gap is not “the technology.” It’s the misalignment between capability, comprehension, and control. (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
Gap scores in our work are signals of misalignment meant to guide action, not claim false precision. (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
Read:
The core stance: Controls, not intentions
Values matter. Intentions matter. But they don’t scale reliably. Controls do. (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
Controls are constraints that shape behavior when:
- people are tired
- incentives distort decisions
- information is incomplete
- time pressure is real
Read:
The core safety principle: Fail-closed thinking
In high-stakes systems, uncertainty should slow scale, not accelerate it. (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
Fail-closed is how governance gains teeth: clear stop conditions, authority to pause, and evidence required to proceed.
Read:
- https://cwmetz.com/fail-closed-thinking-why-pausing-is-sometimes-the-most-responsible-move/ (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
The translation bridge: Signal → Sensemaking → Safeguards
This is the pipeline we use to move from “something changed” to “here’s what to do next,” and then into demonstrable safeguards. (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
Read:
- https://cwmetz.com/from-signal-to-safeguard-how-we-translate-emerging-technology-into-action/ (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
Pressure-aware AI governance (SpiralWatch frameworks)
SpiralWatch applies the above frameworks to the place modern systems fail most often: human pressure (overload, distress, authority dynamics, dependency formation). (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
Core SpiralWatch framework set (index-level):
- Relational Coherence: what “safe interaction” means under pressure
- Four Human Pressure Quadrants: cognitive, emotional, authority, dependency
- Pressure Stacking & Red Zones: why risk rises non-linearly when pressures combine
- Stop Ladder (SLOW / STOP / ESCALATE): operational safety behavior under uncertainty
- Agency Contract: preserving human decision ownership
- Certification model: scenarios → evidence → gates (audit-ready)
(These are listed on the Library page today under “SpiralWatch 1.6 Methods.”) (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
How to use these frameworks
- If you’re a leader: use Triangle + Gap + Fail-Closed to decide where to pause scale until proof exists. (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
- If you’re shipping AI: turn values into controls: gates, stop conditions, auditability, escalation. (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
- If you’re governance/policy: treat rules as enforceable constraints with ownership, not aspirational statements. (BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS)
- If you’re teaching: use the Triangle as a shared language for agency, discernment, and responsibility.
Next: If you want the repeatable “how we do the work,” go to Methods:
https://cwmetz.com/methods/
BALANCE THE TRIANGLE LABS 