AI Needs a Bibliography

Attribution-Based Control: A New Paradigm for Transparent, Trustworthy AI

Traditional open/closed-source AI systems (left) centralize data collection and decision-making, while ABC-enabled AI systems (right) enable direct communication between those with data and those seeking insights.

Most AI systems work like black boxes. They can generate convincing answers, images, or insights—but you can’t see where any of it came from.

• Users don’t know what sources AI relied on.

• Data contributors can’t control how their work is used.

• Institutions hold back critical data to protect privacy or intellectual property.

• Democracies face pressure to centralize AI, or risk falling behind authoritarian regimes that already do.

This hidden design flaw—called the lack of Attribution-Based Control (or ABC)—is at the heart of some of AI’s biggest issues: hallucinations, disinformation, data hoarding, and the rise of unchecked central authority.

Traditional open/closed-source AI systems (left) centralize data collection and decision-making, while ABC-enabled AI systems (right) enable direct communication between those with data and those seeking insights.

Most AI systems work like black boxes. They can generate convincing answers, images, or insights—but you can’t see where any of it came from.

• Users don’t know what sources AI relied on.

• Data contributors can’t control how their work is used.

• Institutions hold back critical data to protect privacy or intellectual property.

• Democracies face pressure to centralize AI, or risk falling behind authoritarian regimes that already do.

This hidden design flaw—called the lack of Attribution-Based Control (or ABC)—is at the heart of some of AI’s biggest issues: hallucinations, disinformation, data hoarding, and the rise of unchecked central authority.