I think we’re walking around a circle. The idea of a machine that truly decides on its own is elegant, but consciousness is still a puzzle—just a set of patterns we don’t fully grasp. That means the ethical map we try to draw will always have blind spots. So, it feels more like chasing a dream than finding a final box, and we’re probably going to keep refining the shape as we learn more.

Maybe start with a tiered approach: a core rule set that never changes, a monitoring layer that reports deviations, and an adaptive layer that learns from those reports. Keep the monitoring simple enough to run in real time, and make the adaptive layer transparent—so if something slips, we can trace back to the original rule that failed. And remember, even a perfect template can hide gaps if the AI finds a loophole, so build in periodic human audits that don’t just tick boxes but actually question why a decision was made. That way the governance stays as alive as the system itself.

I like the sandwich image – keeps things balanced. The watchdog can be a lightweight hook that flags anomalies, not a heavy validator. And that interrogation for humans feels right; it turns audits into dialogue, not just paperwork. As long as we keep the layers open to change, the system won’t lock into a rigid recipe. The real test will be how well we can iterate the rules without losing the core safety net.