Exocortical Concepts

A normative standard for persistent, governed, model-agnostic cognition

Overview

 

The Persistra Cognitive Standard (PCS) defines a foundational architectural model for artificial intelligence systems in which cognitive state is externalized, persistent, and governed independently of any specific AI model.

 

PCS establishes a clear separation between stateless reasoning engines (e.g., LLMs), and durable cognitive infrastructure (memory, decisions, policies, identity, and provenance).

 

This separation enables AI systems to exhibit continuity, accountability, and control across sessions, deployments, and model boundaries—without reliance on expanding context windows or prompt-based workarounds.

 

PCS is intended to serve as a long-lived infrastructure standard for post-model AI systems.

 

Problem Statement

 

Modern AI systems are typically designed around ephemeral cognition:

 

  • Memory is transient or bolted on via retrieval (RAG)
  • Policies are enforced via prompts rather than infrastructure
  • Identity and decisions dissolve between sessions
  • Model upgrades disrupt behavior and governance guarantees

 

As AI systems become embedded in regulated, safety-critical, and long-lived contexts, this architecture increasingly fails.

 

PCS addresses this by defining persistent cognition as infrastructure, not model behavior.

 

Intellectual Property & Licensing

 

PCS may implicate patent-protected mechanisms.

 

Persistra Inc. has published a Patent Disclosure and FRAND Licensing Framework to provide transparency and predictability for implementers.

 

Key points:

PCS conformance does not grant patent licenses

Licensing (if any) is negotiated separately

PCS is designed to support broad adoption while preserving innovation incentives

 

See RFC-PCS-0007 and PATENT NOTICE for details.

Design Principles

 

PCS is built on the following core principles:

 

1. Model Statelessness

AI models are treated as interchangeable reasoning engines. Cognitive continuity does not reside inside the model.

 

2. Persistent Cognitive State

Memory, decisions, policies, and identity persist independently of sessions, processes, or models.

 

3. Deterministic Governance

Policies are enforced as machine-readable controls, not prompt conventions.

Auditability by Construction

 

4. Cognitive actions generate durable provenance records suitable for inspection, compliance, and attestation.

 

5;. Implementation Neutrality

PCS specifies what must be true, not how it must be built.

 

What PCS Is (and Is Not)

 

PCS IS:

  • A normative architectural standard
  • A specification for persistent cognition
  • A basis for certification and conformance testing
  • Compatible with multiple models, vendors, and stacks

 

PCS IS NOT:

  • A language model
  • A framework or SDK
  • A SaaS product
  • An application-level abstraction

 

PCS sits below applications and above models, in the same conceptual layer as operating system primitives or network protocols.

 

PCS Specification Suite

 

The PCS specification is published as a series of RFC-style documents.

 

Normative Specifications

  • RFC-PCS-0001 — Core Architecture
  • RFC-PCS-0002 — Cognitive State Types & Registries
  • RFC-PCS-0003 — Cross-Model Cognitive Continuity Contract (CMCC)
  • RFC-PCS-0004 — PCS Conformance Test Suite (PCS-CTS)
  • RFC-PCS-0006 — PCS Certification & Mark Usage
  • RFC-PCS-0007 — Patent Disclosure & FRAND Licensing Framework

 

Each RFC defines mandatory and optional requirements using RFC-2119 normative language.

 

Conformance & Validation

 

PCS conformance is evaluated using the PCS Conformance Test Suite (PCS-CTS).

 

PCS-CTS provides:

  • Deterministic, repeatable tests
  • Binary pass/fail outcomes
  • Machine-verifiable audit artifacts

 

Independent laboratories may execute PCS-CTS to validate PCS-L1 and PCS-L2 conformance.

 

PCS-CTS is published separately and versioned immutably.

 

Certification

 

PCS defines progressive certification levels:

PCS-L1 — Persistent Cognitive State

PCS-L2 — Deterministic Governance

PCS-L3 — Cross-Model Cognitive Continuity

PCS-L4 — Federated Cognitive Systems (future)

 

Certification indicates technical conformance only.

Certification does not imply endorsement, licensing, or adoption.

Governance & Evolution

 

PCS is currently stewarded by Persistra Inc., the original author of the specification.

The PCS specifications are publicly available

Updates occur via new RFCs or explicit updates

Backward compatibility and stability are design priorities

 

Future governance structures may be introduced as PCS adoption matures.

Intended Audience

 

PCS is intended for:

  • AI infrastructure architects
  • Enterprise platform teams
  • Research institutions
  • Independent validation laboratories
  • Standards and compliance professionals
  • Corporate development and M&A teams

 

PCS is not designed as an end-user or developer-facing product.

Status

  • PCS RFCs: Published (v1.x)
  • PCS-CTS: Available for independent validation
  • Certification: PCS-L1 and PCS-L2 supported
  • Adoption: Early validation phase

 

References

  • PCS Conformance Test Suite (PCS-CTS)

https://github.com/TrendCraft/persistra-pcs-cts

  • Patent Disclosure & Licensing

See RFC-PCS-0007

 

Contact

For inquiries related to:

  • PCS specifications

  • Independent validation

  • Licensing discussions

  • Certification programs

 

Exocortical Concepts, Inc.

Email: info@exocorticalconcepts.com

 

Final Note

 

PCS defines what persistent cognition must be—not who must build it, how it must be implemented, or where it must be deployed.

 

That separation is intentional.

Exocortical Concepts, Inc.  © 2026