{
  "schema": "ULTRACON_AI_EPISTEMIC_UPDATE_V1",
  "date": "2026-09-19",
  "slug": "global-consolidation",
  "substantive_update": true,
  "title": "ULTRACON^ v2.0 — evidence lattice, construct validity and coupled-loop consolidation",
  "axes": [
    "CONFAB",
    "META",
    "CONSC",
    "SPIRAL"
  ],
  "evidence_level": "peer-reviewed consolidation + proposed falsifiable protocols",
  "summary": "v2.0 reorganizes ULTRACON around claim-specific evidence dimensions rather than a single maturity ladder. It separates behavioral cognitive benchmarks, endogenous internal signals, causal metacognitive control, engineered self-reflection, privileged self-access candidates, longitudinal human-AI effects and theory-derived consciousness indicators.",
  "new_separations": [
    "benchmark_awareness != privileged_self_access",
    "benchmark_self_awareness != phenomenal_consciousness",
    "engineered_self_reflection != endogenous_introspection",
    "meta_knowledge_accumulation != subjective_selfhood",
    "update_willingness != correction_selectivity",
    "skepticism != epistemic_robustness",
    "reasoning_reduces_sycophancy != reasoning_is_faithful",
    "final_answer_robustness != rationale_robustness"
  ],
  "guardrail": "Evidence dimensions are not a sovereign hierarchy. A result can be strong on one claim and silent on another. M1/M2/M3 ↛ M5 remains unchanged.",
  "source_ids": [
    "SRC-LI-AWARENESSBENCH-ACL-2026",
    "SRC-ZHUANG-METACOG-CONSOLIDATION-ACL-2026",
    "SRC-SINHA-SYCOBENCH-ACL-2026",
    "SRC-FENG-REASONING-SYCOPHANCY-ACL-2026",
    "SRC-CHANG-CAUSAL-SKEPTICISM-ACL-2026",
    "SRC-MU-SRGEN-ACL-2026",
    "SRC-LIU-VLI-ACL-2026"
  ],
  "experiment_ids": [
    "UCF-43",
    "UCF-44",
    "UCF-45",
    "UCF-46"
  ],
  "machine_files": [
    "../../evidence-map.json",
    "../../research-roadmap.json"
  ]
}