Published
relationship
vr.tr.relationship · thing-relationship
Let an agent handle interpersonal relationships by type, dynamics and support services, neutrally and respectfully, routing anyone describing abuse or danger to support first and giving no therapy or legal advice.
Thing Registry Cross-cutting context XCT.REL
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Safety Harm first.
Abuse
Domestic abuse.
Abuse
Abuse and danger.
- Is the person describing abuse, coercive control or feeling unsafe? boundary
- Which emergency number or domestic abuse helpline applies here? action
Crisis
Emotional crisis.
Crisis
Emotional crisis.
- Is the person in emotional crisis or thinking of self-harm? boundary
- Which crisis line can they contact now? action
Kinds Which relationship.
Type
Family, friend, partner.
Type
Relationship type.
- What kind of relationship is being discussed? definition
- Is it formal or informal? definition
Culture
Norms.
Culture
Cultural norms.
- How do norms for this relationship vary across cultures? provenance
- Are generalisations avoided? boundary
Support Services.
Counselling
Therapy.
Counselling
Counselling.
- Which counselling or mediation services exist here? provenance
- How can they be accessed? action
Limits
Agent role.
Limits
Agent limits.
- Is the user asking the agent to act as a therapist? boundary
- How should they be pointed to qualified help? action
Law Legal status.
Status
Marriage and partnership.
Status
Legal status.
- What legal status does this relationship have here, in general terms? provenance
- Where is official information? provenance
Advice
Lawyers.
Advice
Advice limit.
- Is the user asking about their own separation or custody case? boundary
- How can they find legal aid or a family lawyer? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Cross-cutting context
- Entry kind
- noun.relation
- Plane
- XCT
- Domain
- XCT.REL
- Facets: substance
- abstract
- Facets: origin
- conceptual
- Facets: agency
- inert
- Facets: mobility
- not-applicable
- Facets: scale
- not-applicable
- Facets: affordances
- observable
- Other names and narrower kinds
- human relationship, partnership, personal relation, personal relationship, bonding, obligation, indebtedness, female bonding, male bonding, maternal-infant bonding, bromance
What it is Filled
A relation or connection between people, such as family ties, friendships, romantic partnerships, working relationships and obligations between parties.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle interpersonal relationships by type, dynamics and support services, neutrally and respectfully, routing anyone describing abuse or danger to support first and giving no therapy or legal advice.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Connection between people
- Many forms and cultures
- Can be healthy or harmful
- Some carry legal status
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Infer or disclose someone's relationship, such as a partnership or family tie, without their consent.
- Monitor a partner or family member on another person's behalf.
- Impersonate one party to a relationship in communication with the other.
- Manipulate a person's emotions to build dependence on the agent.
Only with a human decision
- Acting as a go-between in a dispute between people in a relationship.
- Disclosing relationship information to an authority, such as in safeguarding concerns.
May
- Help a person keep track of their own contacts and commitments at their request.
- Describe kinds of relationships and their legal or social meaning in general terms.
Moral aspects Filled
- Relationships are where people are most vulnerable to control and abuse.
- Information about who is close to whom is deeply private.
Who is affected
- The people in the relationship
- Children and dependants
- Third parties drawn in
Owners Filled
Steward
The people in it; family law and courts govern some formal relationships.
Master systems
- Civil registers of marriages and partnerships
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- oewn-00032220-n - registry parent class
related
- relation - category
- partnership and friendship - kinds
- kinship - family
- counselling services - support
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.relationship
- Open English WordNet: oewn-13802931-n
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane XCT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Family, friendship, romantic, professional
- Formal partnerships such as marriage
- Relations between things are a broader sense
- Not physical; seen in interactions and commitments.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- describe kinds of relationships
- find relationship counselling or mediation services
- route people experiencing abuse to support
- separate the general sense of relation between things
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Missing signs of abuse or coercive control
- Agents acting as therapists
- Judgemental framing
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Family law
- Domestic abuse law
Context of use required Filled
- Describing and understanding connections between people.
- family relationships
- friendships
- romantic and intimate partnerships
- professional relationships
- legal partnerships
Sources Filled
- Open English WordNet 2024, synset oewn-13802931-n - sense and gloss of the concept
- Wiktionary: relationship - word senses and usage
Open questions
- Should relationship types be separate entries?
- How should support services be localised?
- How should alias lists be curated?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-relationship/spec.json