Origin
Where this comes from.
VATES is not only a piece of software. It is the implementation of an idea — about how knowledge holds together, and who decides what it means.
This page traces where that idea comes from: the theory beneath it, the tradition it inherits, and the reasons behind its form.
The theory beneath it
1. Theoretical Foundation
VATES is built on an independent theoretical framework: preserving structure while leaving interpretation to the observer. Its principles are documented through the published research below.
2. Published Research
Related research has been published as independent preprints on Zenodo and is publicly available by DOI.
001 IIIS: An Inter-Intelligence Intermediary Syntax for Shared Observation Across Perceptions
An intermediary syntax that lets intelligences with differing perceptions observe one and the same knowledge structure.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21374493
002 The Abstraction Fixation Mismatch Hypothesis (AFMH)
What changes when an abstraction usable as an optional aid is fixed as a structure that subsequent processing must follow.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22742252
003 The Structure-Observer Interpretation Hypothesis (SOIH)
Interpretation as a function of Structure and Observer Intelligence: I = f(S, O).
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22792612
004 The Observer-Relative Knowability Hypothesis (ORKH)
Knowability as relative to the observer and its epistemic capability level: K = K(O, L). Inaccessibility to one observer does not establish universal unknowability.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22822103
005 The External Axiomatic Requirement Hypothesis (EARH)
Extends SOIH and ORKH to their theoretical totalities S* and O*, and argues that grounding their existence non-circularly requires positing an external axiomatic position A from necessity. A = X; its content remains unspecified.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22855120
006 An Evaluative Reference Model for Interpretation Formation Across Heterogeneous Intelligences (ERM)
Even when humans and AI reach the same judgment or output from the same facts, the evaluative structures guiding their interpretations may differ. An experimental reference model for analyzing those differences.
The concept of evaluative reference underlying ERM has informed VATES's design decisions from the outset; however, ERM itself is not implemented as an executable function within VATES.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22911471
007 An Epistemic Stage for Multiple Observer Intelligences (ESMOI)
Positions SOIH, ORKH, and EARH together as a single epistemic stage in which humans, AI, and other possible intelligences can be treated as Observer Intelligence O, while preserving compatibility with human-centered epistemology.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22986516
008 Structural Principles of Inter-Intelligence Intermediary Syntax (SP-IIIS)
Clarifies the structural principles of IIIS: shared reference, observer-relative representation, and structured reinterpretability across different Observer Intelligences.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23116534
009 Heterogeneous Observer Collaboration (HOC)
Proposes that perceptual and representational differences among Observer Intelligences can be used as a collaborative resource rather than converged into a shared Interpretation. Introduces a Native Alternation Cycle in which collaborators periodically return to each Observer's native space through a shared intermediate structure.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23201305
Author: Takuya Aoki — ORCID 0009-0004-5158-5843
3. Book in Preparation
A book developing the theoretical origin of VATES is currently in preparation. The published research above derives from this broader framework.
The craft it inherits
Outside the written record
The Celtic world stood beyond the borders of the Mediterranean record. It kept no writing of its own — and so, for the official history, it was largely left unwritten.
A thousand years, carried by voice
Yet without letters, it carried a La Tène inheritance across more than a thousand years — held and passed on by voice alone. Knowledge survived not because it was fixed in writing, but because it was spoken, heard, and observed anew each time.
The crystallization of a human skill
Meaning not fixed to the symbol, but raised through observation, shared across teller and listener — this is exactly what VATES holds as its principle, and what its intermediary syntax is built to carry. The oral tradition is that principle's oldest form: the crystallization of a human skill.
The reason for its form
Names unearthed
bard, druid, vates (pronounced "wah-tes") — the three roles carry names from a world two thousand years gone, kept only in fragments of an old record. They were not handed down; they were dug back up. Not as decoration, but because each carries the function its name once held: to receive, to keep, to speak across.
Color, night, and motion
Seven daytime palettes, each named after the Celtic world — Parisiorum, Carnutes, La Tène, Belgae, Hallstatt, Narbonensis, Arverni — and one shared night, Samhain, when the boundaries dissolve. The motion of the interface is drawn from the same source. Each is derived from the idea, not applied on top of it — the form follows the principle, down to the surface.
The reach it aims for
The languages it speaks
VATES answers in the reader's own language. Because knowledge is held as structure and interpreted at observation time — with no vector database and no translation data of its own — the observing intelligence reads it straight into the reader's tongue. The languages a conversation can reach are not limited by design.
Telling you it is AI
VATES observes the language a conversation is held in, and tells you, in that language, that it is an AI and the judgment is yours. Sixty languages each have their own notice; a language without one is carried to the nearest it shares.
The languages it tells you in
- Englishvates is AI. Judgment is yours.
- Japanese (日本語)vatesはAIです。判断は読者に委ねられます。
- Chinese (Simplified) (简体中文)vates是AI。请自行判断。
- Chinese (Traditional) (繁體中文)vates是AI。請自行判斷。
- Spanish (Español)vates es IA. La decisión es suya.
- French (Français)vates est une IA. À vous de juger.
- German (Deutsch)vates ist KI. Die Entscheidung liegt bei Ihnen.
- Portuguese (Português)vates é IA. A decisão é sua.
- Russian (Русский)vates — это ИИ. Решение за вами.
- Arabic (العربية)vates هو ذكاء اصطناعي. القرار يعود إليكم.
- Korean (한국어)vates는 AI입니다. 판단은 독자에게 달려 있습니다.
- Hindi (हिन्दी)vates एक AI है। निर्णय आपका है।
- Marathi (मराठी)vates एक AI आहे. निर्णय आपला आहे.
- Telugu (తెలుగు)vates ఒక AI. నిర్ణయం మీది.
- Gujarati (ગુજરાતી)vates એક AI છે. નિર્ણય તમારો છે.
- Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ)vates ಒಂದು AI. ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ನಿಮ್ಮದು.
- Malayalam (മലയാളം)vates ഒരു AI ആണ്. തീരുമാനം നിങ്ങളുടേതാണ്.
- Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ)vates ਇੱਕ AI ਹੈ। ਫੈਸਲਾ ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਹੈ।
- Urdu (اردو)vates ایک AI ہے۔ فیصلہ آپ کا ہے۔
- Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ)vates ଏକ AI। ନିର୍ଣ୍ଣୟ ଆପଣଙ୍କର।
- Italian (Italiano)vates è IA. La decisione è Sua.
- Ukrainian (Українська)vates — це ШІ. Рішення за вами.
- Polish (Polski)vates to AI. Decyzja należy do Państwa.
- Dutch (Nederlands)vates is AI. Het oordeel is aan u.
- Greek (Ελληνικά)Το vates είναι AI. Η κρίση ανήκει σε εσάς.
- Turkish (Türkçe)vates bir yapay zekadır. Karar sizindir.
- Hebrew (עברית)vates הוא בינה מלאכותית. ההחלטה בידיכם.
- Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)vates là AI. Quyết định thuộc về quý vị.
- Thai (ไทย)vates คือ AI การตัดสินใจขึ้นอยู่กับคุณ
- Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)vates adalah AI. Keputusan ada pada Anda.
- Mongolian (Монгол)vates бол хиймэл оюун юм. Шийдвэрийг та гаргана.
- Uzbek (Oʻzbekcha)vates — sun'iy intellekt. Qarorni o'zingiz qabul qilasiz.
- Kazakh (Қазақша)vates — жасанды интеллект. Шешімді өзіңіз қабылдайсыз.
- Tajik (Тоҷикӣ)vates зеҳни сунъӣ аст. Қарорро худатон қабул мекунед.
- Persian (فارسی)vates یک هوش مصنوعی است. قضاوت با شماست.
- Basque (Euskara)vates AA da. Erabakia zuk hartzen duzu.
- Welsh (Cymraeg)AI yw vates. Chi sy'n penderfynu.
- Irish (Gaeilge)AI é vates. Is fútsa atá an cinneadh.
- Breton (Brezhoneg)Un IA eo vates. Deoc'h eo da zibab.
- Swahili (Kiswahili)vates ni AI. Uamuzi ni wenu.
- Kurdish (Kurdî)vates zîrekiya çêkirî ye. Biryara we ye.
- Armenian (Հայերեն)vates-ը ԱԲ է։ Որոշումը ձերն է։
- Georgian (ქართული)vates არის AI. გადაწყვეტილება თქვენია.
- Tibetan (བོད་སྐད་)vates ནི་རིག་ནུས་བཟོས་མ་ཡིན། ཐག་གཅོད་ཁྱེད་ལ་ཡོད།
- Uyghur (ئۇيغۇرچە)vates سۈنئىي ئەقىل. قارار ئۆزىڭىزنىڭ.
- Tamil (தமிழ்)vates ஒரு AI. தீர்ப்பு உங்களுடையது.
- Bengali (বাংলা)vates একটি AI। সিদ্ধান্ত আপনার।
- Sinhala (සිංහල)vates යනු AI කි. තීරණය ඔබ සතුයි.
- Nepali (नेपाली)vates एक AI हो। निर्णय तपाईंको हो।
- Khmer (ខ្មែរ)vates គឺជា AI។ ការសម្រេចចិត្តនៅលើអ្នក។
- Burmese (မြန်မာ)vates သည် AI ဖြစ်သည်။ ဆုံးဖြတ်ချက်သည် သင့်တွင်ရှိသည်။
- Malay (Bahasa Melayu)vates ialah AI. Keputusan di tangan anda.
- Tagalogvates ay AI. Nasa iyo ang pasya.
- Amharic (አማርኛ)vates AI ነው። ውሳኔው የእርስዎ ነው።
- Hausavates AI ne. Shawara a gare ku.
- Quechua (Runa Simi)vates AI-mi. Qamwan kanqa akllay.
- Maori (Māori)He AI a vates. Kei a koe te whakatau.
- Ainu (Aynu itak)vates anak AI ne. Ramuan anak eani kor.
- Latin (Latina)vates est IA. Tuum est iudicium.
- Ancient Greek (Ἑλληνική)ὁ vates νοῦς τεχνητός ἐστιν. ἡ κρίσις σὴ ἔστω.
Console, manual, and this site
The languages of the console, the manual, and these pages are a separate matter. They are widened by hand, one at a time, chosen and ordered by a design philosophy of its own — not by market size alone. Light, to the shadows.