Architectural Model¶

The architectural model describes how the Core Concepts interact to establish a sustainable environment for Human–AI collaboration.

Rather than focusing on software components or implementation details, POOKA models the architectural relationships between information, meaning, governance and behavior.

The architecture intentionally separates relatively stable concepts from concepts that are expected to change over time. This distinction allows knowledge to remain durable while enabling AI interactions to remain adaptive.

Prompt context and architectural context¶

In architectural terms, a prompt is the means by which context and behavior are supplied to an AI system at the moment of interaction. Understood this way, a prompt is a runtime carrier of context rather than a persistent part of the information architecture.

POOKA treats information architecture as the primary carrier of context. Persistence here refers to the architectural representation of concepts rather than to their content: a Context is represented persistently as part of the information architecture, while the Context itself remains adaptive.

Diagram contrasting context supplied to an AI system inside a prompt at runtime with context represented persistently as part of the information architecture. — Figure 1. Runtime prompt context contrasted with persistent architecture.

Read Chapter 2: The Architectural Challenge

The three architectural viewpoints¶

POOKA distinguishes three complementary architectural layers. They represent distinct architectural viewpoints on the same model rather than isolated partitions.

Diagram of the three POOKA architectural layers: the Knowledge Layer describing what exists, the Governance Layer defining who may act and under which conditions, and the Behavior Layer defining how collaboration takes place. — Figure 3. The Knowledge, Governance and Behavior layers.

Knowledge viewpoint¶

The Knowledge Layer describes what exists. It contains the persistent representation of knowledge, independent of any specific interaction. Concepts such as Domains, Contexts, Artifacts, Relations and Semantics define the informational structure upon which collaboration is based.

Knowledge should remain stable regardless of which Actor accesses it or which AI model processes it.

Governance viewpoint¶

The Governance Layer defines who may act and under which conditions. Identity, Actor, Delegation and Boundaries determine authority, representation, ownership and responsibility throughout the architecture.

Governance is considered part of the information architecture rather than application logic.

Behavior viewpoint¶

The Behavior Layer defines how collaboration takes place. Behavior specifies how Actors, including AI systems, are expected or permitted to operate within a particular Context.

Unlike knowledge, behavior is intentionally adaptive. It may vary between Domains, Contexts or Delegations while remaining constrained by the architectural model.

Read section 9.1: Architectural Layers

The Core Concepts graph¶

The Core Concepts form a connected architectural graph. An Ecosystem contains one or more Identities. An Identity may delegate representation to one or more Actors. Actors operate within one or more Contexts. Contexts exist within Domains. Domains contain Artifacts. Artifacts are connected through explicit Relations. Semantics define the meaning of architectural concepts and their relationships. Behavior governs how Actors interact with information. Boundaries constrain the movement of information, semantics and behavior between architectural elements. Events introduce change into the architecture over time.

Graph of the twelve POOKA Core Concepts and the relationships between them: an Ecosystem contains Identities, an Identity delegates to Actors, Actors operate within Contexts, Contexts exist within Domains, Domains contain Artifacts, and Artifacts are connected through Relations. — Figure 2. The Core Concepts and their relationships.

Read section 9.2: Architectural Relationships · View the twelve Core Concepts

An illustrative example¶

The paper closes the architectural model with a deliberately conceptual, technology-independent example: an independent researcher who organizes a personal knowledge environment as an Ecosystem, an AI assistant that never implicitly represents the researcher but operates under an explicit Delegation, a durable research Domain, a Context that changes as studies change, and a Boundary that separates research from personal administration.

The same architecture could be realized using files, databases, graph structures or technologies that do not yet exist.

Read section 9.5: An Illustrative Example

Architectural independence¶

The architectural model is independent of implementation technology. The concepts defined by POOKA may be implemented using files, databases, graph technologies, object-oriented systems, document stores or future technologies not yet available.

Compliance with POOKA depends upon preserving the architectural concepts and their relationships rather than adopting a particular technical implementation.

Read Chapter 9: Architectural Model · Read Chapter 10: Architectural Patterns