dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaThe Axiom of Consent: Friction Dynamics in Multi-Agent Coordination
| Authors | Murad Farzulla |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | 2601.06692vv1 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06692 |
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Abstract
Multi-agent systems face a fundamental coordination problem: agents must coordinate despite heterogeneous preferences, asymmetric stakes, and imperfect information. When coordination fails, friction emerges: measurable resistance manifesting as deadlock, thrashing, communication overhead, or outright conflict. This paper derives a formal framework for analyzing coordination friction from a single axiom: actions affecting agents require authorization from those agents in proportion to stakes. From this axiom of consent, we establish the kernel triple $({\alpha}, {\sigma}, {\epsilon})$ (alignment, stake, and entropy) characterizing any resource allocation configuration. The friction equation $F = {\sigma} (1 + {\epsilon})/(1 + {\alpha})$ predicts coordination difficulty as a function of preference alignment ${\alpha}$, stake magnitude ${\sigma}$, and communication entropy ${\epsilon}$. The Replicator-Optimization Mechanism (ROM) governs evolutionary selection over coordination strategies: configurations generating less friction persist longer, establishing consent-respecting arrangements as dynamical attractors rather than normative ideals. We develop formal definitions for resource consent, coordination legitimacy, and friction-aware allocation in multi-agent systems. The framework yields testable predictions: MARL systems with higher reward alignment exhibit faster convergence; distributed allocations accounting for stake asymmetry generate lower coordination failure; AI systems with interpretability deficits produce friction proportional to the human-AI alignment gap. Applications to cryptocurrency governance and political systems demonstrate that the same equations govern friction dynamics across domains, providing a complexity science perspective on coordination under preference heterogeneity.
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"abstract": "Multi-agent systems face a fundamental coordination problem: agents must coordinate despite heterogeneous preferences, asymmetric stakes, and imperfect information. When coordination fails, friction emerges: measurable resistance manifesting as deadlock, thrashing, communication overhead, or outright conflict. This paper derives a formal framework for analyzing coordination friction from a single axiom: actions affecting agents require authorization from those agents in proportion to stakes.\n From this axiom of consent, we establish the kernel triple $({\\alpha}, {\\sigma}, {\\epsilon})$ (alignment, stake, and entropy) characterizing any resource allocation configuration. The friction equation $F = {\\sigma} (1 + {\\epsilon})/(1 + {\\alpha})$ predicts coordination difficulty as a function of preference alignment ${\\alpha}$, stake magnitude ${\\sigma}$, and communication entropy ${\\epsilon}$. The Replicator-Optimization Mechanism (ROM) governs evolutionary selection over coordination strategies: configurations generating less friction persist longer, establishing consent-respecting arrangements as dynamical attractors rather than normative ideals.\n We develop formal definitions for resource consent, coordination legitimacy, and friction-aware allocation in multi-agent systems. The framework yields testable predictions: MARL systems with higher reward alignment exhibit faster convergence; distributed allocations accounting for stake asymmetry generate lower coordination failure; AI systems with interpretability deficits produce friction proportional to the human-AI alignment gap. Applications to cryptocurrency governance and political systems demonstrate that the same equations govern friction dynamics across domains, providing a complexity science perspective on coordination under preference heterogeneity.",
"arxiv_id": "2601.06692",
"authors": [
"Murad Farzulla"
],
"categories": [
"cs.MA",
"cs.CY"
],
"license": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"title": "The Axiom of Consent: Friction Dynamics in Multi-Agent Coordination",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.06692",
"version": "v1"
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