Brittleness — Operational test: Small input variance triggers hard failures instead of safe fallbacks.
Operational test "Small input variance triggers hard failures instead of safe fallbacks." for Brittleness in the Failure modes (why Ethotechnics exists) glossary category.
Operational test
Small input variance triggers hard failures instead of safe fallbacks.
Use this test to validate operational readiness.
Pair this test with the minimum evidence criteria to capture both qualitative and quantitative signals.
- Evidence artifact: Artifact documenting how Brittleness is expected, enforced, or governed.
- Behavior signal: Observed behavior showing Brittleness in practice during real use or drills.
- Metric signal: Metric tracked to monitor Brittleness performance over time.
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 .
B. Failure modes (why Ethotechnics exists). Common patterns where responsibility dissolves and harm accelerates.
Highlights the need for soft edges, graceful degradation, and refusal tolerance.