DAVID MEELER, PH.D.
AI Governance Architect: Research & Safety Protocols
David Meeler
Tenured Professor of Philosophy, Winthrop University
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
I am a philosopher of technology and institutional policy specializing in the logical boundaries of privacy, the distortion of systemic metrics, and the governance of posthuman intelligence. My work is defined by a single, critical question: How do we maintain institutional and human integrity when the systems we build create incentives to game them?
The Architecture of Containment
My research trajectory follows a logical arc from foundational theory to the current safety crisis in Generative AI. Grounded in my analysis of Metric Distortion, cited by the NBER and the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, I apply rigorous logic to the "Reward Hacking" problem facing modern AI alignment.
By leveraging my Information Containment model (rooted in Access Control Logic and first detailed in The Monist), I develop protocols for Chain-of-Thought (CoT) verification and data lineage. This culminates in the "Glass Tower": a strategic framework for isolating advanced AI agents to preserve human social context and institutional security.
Core Capabilities: AI Logic & Safety Verification
| Domain | Methodology | Architectural Value |
|---|---|---|
| Logic Verification | Formal & Symbolic Logic | Auditing Chain-of-Thought (CoT) outputs for structural soundness and deductive validity. |
| Alignment Oversight | Applied Ethics & Jurisprudence | Reviewing RLHF reward functions to prevent metric distortion and ensure normative consistency. |
| Systemic Stress-Testing | Incentive Analysis | Identifying potential "Reward Hacking" behaviors by modeling agent exploitation of safety constraints. |
| Socratic Scaffolding | Active Inquiry Models | Optimizing model-human interactions for independent critique rather than passive compliance. |
AI Governance Architect: Research & Safety Protocols
Official documentation regarding the Information Containment framework and its application to technical standards:
| Document / Profile | Focus Area | Access |
|---|---|---|
| POLICY BRIEF: The Sufficiency of Information Protection | AI Governance, Data Lineage, Privacy Asymmetry | ⬇ DOWNLOAD PDF |
| Sage Policy Profile | Tracking research impact on government/NGO guidelines | [VIEW EXTERNAL PROFILE] |
Research & Intellectual Property
My research trajectory follows a 25-year progression from the formal logic of privacy to the institutional challenges of autonomous system alignment.
I. Foundations of Information Privacy & AI
Developing the "Information Containment" framework (2000-Present).
| Title & Platform | Strategic Insight | Access |
|---|---|---|
| "Is Information All We Need to Protect?" The Monist (2008) |
Establishes the Container Theory of data rights—providing the formal logic for modern AI data lineage. | PhilPapers |
| "Sharing Social Context... Posthuman Possible?" Palgrave Macmillan (2015) |
Predicts the Alignment Gap: arguing that as cognitive architectures diverge, shared governance becomes impossible. | DOI Record |
| "Shared Access & Private Space" Foundational Dissertation (UCSB, 2000) |
The "Hybrid Conception" of privacy. Arguing that protecting Informational Integrity is the most efficient way to secure the human person. |
⬇ READ SUMMARY (PDF) [View Official Record] |
II. Institutional Culture & Policy Analysis
| Case Study / Work | System Failure Analysis | Link/Ref |
|---|---|---|
| "Strike Four! Do-over Policies..." Quality Assurance in Ed. (2013) |
Empirical evidence of Metric Distortion. Cited by NBER/IZA as a study on how agents exploit incentive structures. | DOI Record |
| Applied Ethics & Policy Cases Business Cases in Ethical Focus (Broadview) |
Analysis of Data Ethics & Systemic Constraints:
|
Broadview Press |
| "Academic Forgiveness: The Price of Pardon" Chronicle of Higher Ed (2013) |
Examining the Moral Hazard of grade replacement policies—proving that without "Hard Constraints," agents will game the safety nets. | Chronicle |
| "Rising Pink Tide / Does GPA Matter?" Recruiter (2015-2018) |
Analysis of Systemic Bias & Metric Gamification—identifying "human-layer" distortions in data. |
Rising Pink Tide Does GPA Matter? |
III. Social & Political Theory
| Work | Theoretical Contribution | Access |
|---|---|---|
| "On Rawls & Habermas" Southwest Phil. Studies (2004) |
Structural requirements for Valid Consensus—mirrored in the challenge of aligning AI with pluralistic values. | PhilPapers |
| "Reasonable Sanctions for Reasonable Doctrines" Journal of Social Philosophy (2000) |
The Boundary Problem: How to maintain governance over actors with conflicting internal logics. | Wiley DOI |
Teaching & Curriculum: Logic & Alignment Scaffolding
My pedagogical approach utilizes Socratic Nudging—providing structural scaffolding (Chain-of-Thought) to help agents—whether human or algorithmic—navigate complex normative prompts independently.
| Course / Domain | SME Application | Relevant AI Skill |
|---|---|---|
| Logic & Language (PHIL 220) | Deconstructing natural language into formal symbolic structures. | Logic Verification / CoT |
| LSAT Logic Puzzles (PHIL 371) | Identifying logical fallacies and structural inconsistencies. | Reasoning Error Analysis |
| Contemporary Moral Problems | Applying normative frameworks to pluralistic dilemmas. | RLHF / Alignment Grading |
| Posthumanism in Film & TV | Analyzing the boundary between human and synthetic agency. | AI Persona Design |
Administrative Leadership
| Years | Role | Institution/Department |
|---|---|---|
| 2015–2020 | Dalton Endowed Chair of Environmental Sciences | Winthrop University |
| 2013–2019 | Director of Legal Studies | Interdisciplinary Studies |
| 2013–2015 | Chair, Winthrop University Judicial Council | Winthrop University |