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P185 — AIEP — Evidence Synthesis and Inference Protocol

Publication Date: 2026-04-12 Status: Open Source Prior Art Disclosure Licence: Apache License 2.0 Author/Organisation: Phatfella Ltd Schema: AIEP_OS_SPEC_TEMPLATE v1.0.1 — https://aiep.dev/schemas/aiep-os-spec-template/v1.0.1

Field of the Invention

[0001] The disclosure relates to structured synthesis and inference processes applied to collections of evidence artefacts in computing environments.

[0002] More particularly, the disclosure concerns an evidence synthesis and inference protocol for use within an Architected Instruction and Evidence Protocol (AIEP) system, defining how an AIEP-compliant reasoning agent assembles multiple evidence artefacts into a synthesised inference record that carries composited trust scores, complete source citations, and a declared inference method.

Framework Context

[0003] This invention operates within an Architected Instruction and Evidence Protocol (AIEP) environment as defined in United Kingdom patent application number GB2519711.2, filed 20 November 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Summary of the Disclosure

[0004] A computer-implemented evidence synthesis and inference protocol comprises: accepting a SynthesisRequest specifying: source_evidence_ids, synthesis_scope, inference_method drawn from {DEDUCTIVE, INDUCTIVE, ABDUCTIVE, ANALOGICAL, CAUSAL}, and authoring_agent_id; retrieving all source artefacts and validating that each carries status ACTIVE and TrustScore ≥ TrustFloor; applying the declared inference_method to produce a SynthesisedInferenceRecord containing: synthesised_content, composite_trust_score computed as a weighted mean of source TrustScores scaled by inference_method_confidence, source_evidence_ids, inference_method, authoring_agent_id, and synthesis_timestamp; registering the SynthesisedInferenceRecord as a derived evidence artefact in the evidence store with provenance edges of type EXTENDS linking to each source; flagging contributing source artefacts as CITED_IN_SYNTHESIS; and restricting the composite_trust_score to a maximum ceiling of min(source TrustScores) to prevent trust inflation through synthesis.

[0005] Synthesised inference records are first-class evidence artefacts subject to all provenance chain, access control, and challenge protocols.

[0006] The technical effect is modification of computing system behaviour by providing a governed, auditable mechanism for creating computable synthesised inferences from evidence collections, ensuring inference provenance is machine-verifiable.

Claims

[0007] A computer-implemented method for evidence synthesis and inference comprising: validating source evidence sets against TrustFloor thresholds; applying declared inference methods; computing composite TrustScores with ceiling constraints; generating SynthesisedInferenceRecords with full provenance linkage; registering synthesised records as derived evidence artefacts; and flagging contributing artefacts as CITED_IN_SYNTHESIS.

[0008] A system for evidence synthesis and inference comprising one or more processors and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions to execute the method of claim 1.