Opening
Active · Research
This Lab Entry examines how information should move between private and public AI contexts.
The question
Different tasks need different amounts of context. A useful assistant may need a summary of a private situation without needing the original records. A tool may be able to answer a question without being authorized to take an external action.
The investigation considers which information is needed, what can be summarized or redacted, and when a person should decide whether information moves or an action proceeds.
The distinction under test
Context hygiene is not only about hiding sensitive text. It is also about selecting the context that helps a particular model do a particular job. That selection can improve clarity as well as privacy. A private component might prepare an abstracted question for a public research component, while a human retains control over the original material and any consequential action.
This raises two related questions: what can the system know? and what is it allowed to do? The answers need not be identical. The Lab is testing whether making those decisions explicit improves real workflows.
What we have learned
Context access and action permission need separate treatment. Clear boundaries may make multi-model workflows more useful and easier to trust. The work is conceptual and under test; detailed information classifications, exclusion patterns, routing, and operational rules remain private.