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Brittleness

Glossary entry in Failure modes (why Ethotechnics exists). Definitions, checks, and evidence for Brittleness.

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Quick takeaways

When a system fractures under real-world variance—unexpected inputs, refusals, or edge cases—forcing humans to absorb the impact.

Definition

When a system fractures under real-world variance—unexpected inputs, refusals, or edge cases—forcing humans to absorb the impact. Brittleness signals missing soft edges, thin graceful degradation, and poor refusal tolerance.

Diagnostic
Scope
B. Failure modes (why Ethotechnics exists). Common patterns where responsibility dissolves and harm accelerates.
Genealogy
Highlights the need for soft edges, graceful degradation, and refusal tolerance.

Adjacent terms

aviation automation support

Related concepts

Also tagged: Diagnostic

Moral Latency Accountability Diffusion Extraction Extraction by Endurance Drift (System Drift) Externalization

Example corpus

  • A flight booking bot fails on hyphenated surnames, forcing agents to rebook travelers at the counter.

Copy citation (APA/BibTeX)

Cite this glossary entry Formats: APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS

Version

v1.1.0

Last updated

Jan 9, 2026

DOI

Pending Zenodo deposit

APA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. (2026). Brittleness. Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/brittleness

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Brittleness." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/brittleness.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Brittleness." Ethotechnics glossary. Jan 9, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/brittleness.

BibTeX

@misc{glossary_brittleness,
  title={Brittleness},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute Research Team},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/brittleness},
  version={v1.1.0}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - Brittleness
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute Research Team
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/brittleness
ER  -

Scholarly metadata

Authorship

Contact: research@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

  • Published: Dec 3, 2025
  • Last updated: Jan 9, 2026
  • Version: v1.1.0
  • DOI: Pending Zenodo deposit

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the term title + version, and link to the glossary permalink.

Archive snapshot: Wayback capture

Changelog

  • v1.1.0 · 2026-01-09 — Expanded scholarly metadata, operational tests, and provenance notes.
  • v1.0.0 · 2025-12-03 — Initial glossary release with stable permalinks.