A Minimal Common Metric (MCM) for Human–AI Economic Interaction

This paper proposes a Minimal Common Metric (MCM) for human–AI economic interaction: a value reference that can be shared between heterogeneous agents without requiring shared semantics, intentions, or normative judgments. We argue that in environments where autonomous AI agents and humans interact economically, shared value cannot be semantic or interpretative, but must be purely outcome-consistent and verifiable. The MCM is defined by four necessary properties: agent-independence, non-discretion, irreversibility, and verifiability. The framework provides a formal foundation for objective settlement and coordination between human and artificial agents, and clarifies the limits of trust-, meaning-, and fairness-based concepts in future agentic economic systems.v1.1: Added DOI and corrected minor typos