CIRISAgent open source ethical AI framework for accountable autonomy
Abstract
We present CIRISAgent, an open-source artificial intelligence framework thatreimagines how autonomous systems interact with humans and each other throughtransparent, explainable architecture. Unlike traditional AI systems thatoperate as black boxes whose decision-making remains opaque, we buildtransparency directly into its structure through a 22-service architectureorganized around clear action verbs and ethical reasoning. As a complete anddeployed agent framework currently deployed in Discord communities, wedemonstrate early promise but require rigorous academic validation. We explorehow we address key challenges in AI alignment through practical engineeringchoices, while acknowledging where further research and validation are needed.See https://ciris.ai and https://github.com/cirisai/cirisagent/ for the ethicalframework and the source code respectively, and https://agents.ciris.ai for therunning agent dashboard. https://ciris.ai/research-status/ and https://ciris.ai/coherence-ratchet/ have the latest status
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 2 January 2026