Output Origin Uncertainty (OOU): Canonical Definition

Output Origin Uncertainty (OOU) describes a condition in which an observer cannot determine whether a given output was produced by a human’s independent thinking, by a generative AI system, or by an unobservable hybrid of the two.

The uncertainty does not arise from ambiguity in the output’s quality, correctness, or usefulness, but from the inaccessibility of its origin.

In environments where generative systems are embedded within everyday workflows, outputs may be produced, edited, reviewed, or incorporated in ways that leave no reliable observable signal distinguishing human-originated output from generative output.

Output Origin Uncertainty therefore describes an epistemic condition faced by observers, institutions, and relying parties: the work can be seen, but its origin cannot be determined.

This record provides the canonical definition of Output Origin Uncertainty (OOU).

The Entity Collision Problem (ECP) is a related concept within the EntityWorks Standard describing failures of entity boundary integrity in AI-mediated representation. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19018255