KB article
Deterministic Slices: Designing Questions AI Can Ask Reliably
Deterministic slices constrain questions so answers stay consistent and explainable.
arf-kbcontext-stabilitydeterministic-queryfilter-contextsemantic-contract
TL;DR
- Design questions around stable dimensions.
- Avoid ambiguous or overlapping filters.
The problem
- AI can ask questions with ambiguous or unstable filters.
- Results become hard to reproduce.
Why it matters
- Deterministic questions build user trust.
- They enable repeatable evaluation.
Symptoms
- Same question yields different results across sessions.
- AI produces inconsistent explanations.
Root causes
- Unclear filter paths.
- Dimensions with overlapping meanings.
What good looks like
- Defined set of reliable question patterns.
- Stable dimensions with explicit roles.
How to fix
- Define a list of approved question templates.
- Test them against the model.
- Publish these templates to users.
Pitfalls
- Allowing free‑form questions without guardrails.
- Ignoring role‑playing dimensions.
Checklist
- Question templates defined.
- Templates tested for stability.
- User guidance published.
Framework placement
Primary ARF layer: Context Stability. Diagnostic bridge: data-movement-reliability, semantic-reliability, execution-reliability.