This page outlines the foundational ideas that guide CAHDD™—the philosophy, values, and ethical framework behind our human-centered approach to creativity and technology.
Our Core Principles form the foundation of everything we create, teach, and advocate for at CAHDD™. They represent the human-centered philosophy, the ethical standards, and the creative vision that guide how we navigate the future of design, technology, and knowledge-making. These principles remind us that human beings must remain at the center of the creative process—and that technology should amplify, not replace, our imagination, integrity, and lived experience.
CAHD™ — Computer Aided Human Designed
CAHD™ is the philosophical core of our movement. It reflects the belief that creativity begins with human intention, not machine output. CAHD™ champions a design culture where human insight, craftsmanship, and imagination shape every stage of the creative process. It emphasizes ethics, responsibility, transparency, and the protection of human authorship in an era increasingly dominated by automation. CAHD™ sets the tone for how we think about technology: not as a replacement, but as a tool that should follow human vision, values, and purpose.
Humanocentricus™ — The Heart of Our Philosophy
Humanocentricus™ is our guiding worldview. It asserts that technology should orbit around humanity—not the other way around. Human beings, with their lived experiences, emotional depth, moral reasoning, and creative intuition, must remain the center of innovation. This principle embraces progress when it strengthens the human spirit, expands creative potential, and enhances the world we share. Humanocentricus™ is not resistance to technology; it is a commitment to ensuring technology serves human flourishing, not human displacement.
CAHDD™ — Computer Aided Human Designed & Developed
CAHDD™ is the structural framework built upon the CAHD™ philosophy. It provides a measurable, transparent system that classifies how much of a work was created by human effort versus technological assistance. CAHDD™ was developed to restore clarity and trust in creative industries at a time when AI tools can obscure the true origins of work. Through its seven stages (0–5 and X), CAHDD™ offers a simple, consistent way to disclose the balance between human authorship and machine involvement. It is not a hierarchy or judgment—it is a standard of honesty that protects creators and informs audiences.
The CAHDD™ Stages (0–5 and X)
These stages classify creative work based on human authorship and technological assistance. They are the backbone of our transparency philosophy.
Stage 0 — Traditional Human Craft: Fully human-created work with no digital or automated tools.
Stage 1 — Digitally Assisted Creation: Standard digital tools only (e.g., CAD, Photoshop), no automation or AI involvement.
Stage 2 — Algorithmic Assistance: Procedural, parametric, scripted, or algorithmic tools under human direction; no generative AI content.
Stage 3 — Human–AI Hybrid Creation: Human directs the concept or base work; AI contributes or enhances elements; human maintains final authority.
Stage 4 — AI-Derived, Human-Curated: AI produces most of the content; humans choose, refine, and finalize.
Stage 5 — Fully Autonomous AI Creation: AI creates the work with minimal or no meaningful human creative involvement.
Stage X — Multi-Phase or Hybrid Pipelines: Complex or experimental workflows spanning several stages or involving iterative human–AI loops.
TechRatio™ — A Clearer View of Creative Balance
TechRatio™ is our emerging visual indicator system that expresses the percentage relationship between human effort and technological support in a given work. Serving as a companion to the CAHDD™ stages, it offers immediate clarity into how a piece was created. TechRatio™ reinforces our mission of honesty, transparency, and respect across all creative disciplines.
Human + Machine Integrity
We believe technology should be a partner—never an impersonator, and never a replacement for human identity or creativity. Integrity means acknowledging contributions honestly, avoiding deceptive practices, and resisting pressures to present machine-made work as human-made. Human + Machine Integrity ensures that new tools elevate creators rather than diminishing or misleading them.
GAI™ — Generative Artificial Intelligence (Our Future Standard)
GAI™ represents what AI should aspire to become—not what it currently is. GAI™ represents the possibility of a future form of intelligence capable of true generative thinking and innovation—beyond imitation, beyond derivative recombination, and aligned with human ethics and well-being. It symbolizes what AI could one day become if guided by human-centric principles: transparent, creative, original, and deeply compatible with Humanocentricus™ values. We pursue the idea of GAI™ not out of technological infatuation, but out of a belief that a better, more responsible evolution of intelligence is possible.
Why These Principles Matter
At a time of rapid technological acceleration, society faces a crossroads. Will we allow automation to erode human authorship, creativity, and identity? Or will we shape a future where tools expand our abilities without replacing what makes us human? These Core Principles serve as a compass—guiding designers, educators, artists, technologists, and entire industries toward a more responsible and human-centered future. At CAHDD™, we choose the human path. CAHDD™ exists to safeguard the creative future—and to ensure the path forward remains undeniably human.
