Axes of Authority in Stateless Cognitive Systems: Authority Is Not Intelligence

Abstract

Stateless cognitive systems, including large language models, produce fluent and contextually rich outputs while deliberately lacking durable memory, shared state, and intrinsic authority. This architectural choice creates a recurring mismatch between user expectations and system guarantees, in which authority is perceived or implied based on fluency, apparent continuity, or shared visibility, despite the absence of binding commitments.

An axis-based model of implied or perceived authority is introduced, in which authority is decomposed into orthogonal dimensions, including epistemic, temporal, normative, causal, interpretive, governance, accountability, and elocutionary authority.