Master reference list for the Prism v2 project. Organized by category. Every citation includes author(s), title, source, year, and URL/DOI where available.
Last updated: March 2026
Licklider, J.C.R. "Man-Computer Symbiosis." IRE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics, HFE-1(1), 4–11. 1960. https://worrydream.com/refs/Licklider_1960_-_Man-Computer_Symbiosis.pdf (Foundational paper proposing cooperative human-computer partnership; the conceptual ancestor of this project.)
Neuralink / Arbaugh, N. (first implant participant) First human Neuralink implant: clinical reporting, 2024. Scientific American coverage: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/neuralinks-first-user-describes-life-with-elon-musks-brain-chip/ Nature commentary: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00304-4 (First publicly reported case of the N1 implant: 1,024 electrodes, wireless BCI, enabling cursor control via thought. First implant: January 2024.)
Andersen, R.A., Aflalo, T., & Kellis, S. "From thought to action: The brain-machine interface in posterior parietal cortex." PNAS, 116(52), 26274–26279. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902276116
Shenoy, K.V., Sahani, M., & Churchland, M.M. "Cortical control of arm movements: a dynamical systems perspective." Annual Review of Neuroscience, 36, 337–359. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-062111-150509
FlyWire Consortium "Whole-brain annotation and multi-connectome cell typing of Drosophila." Nature, 634, 686–694. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07686-5 (First complete connectome of an entire adult animal brain: ~140,000 neurons, 50+ million synapses. Establishes the current frontier of connectomics.)
Schlegel, P., et al. (FlyWire Consortium) "Whole-brain connectome of the adult fruit fly." Nature, 634(8032). October 2024. https://www.nature.com/collections/hgcfafejia (Companion paper in the FlyWire series; full wiring diagram with cell-type annotation.)
Ramón y Cajal, S. Histology of the Nervous System of Man and Vertebrates. 1899/1995 (translated edition). Oxford University Press. (Historical foundation of neuronal theory; included for conceptual genealogy.)
Sporns, O. Networks of the Brain. MIT Press. 2010. (Comprehensive framework for understanding brain connectivity at multiple scales.)
Tononi, G. "Consciousness as Integrated Information: a Provisional Manifesto." Biological Bulletin, 215(3), 216–242. 2008. https://doi.org/10.2307/25470707 (Foundational statement of Integrated Information Theory — IIT. Consciousness as φ, the measure of integrated information above parts.)
Tononi, G., Boly, M., Massimini, M., & Koch, C. "Integrated information theory: from consciousness to its physical substrate." Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 17(7), 450–461. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2016.44
Dehaene, S., Lau, H., & Kouider, S. "What is consciousness, and could machines have it?" Science, 358(6362), 486–492. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan8871
Dehaene, S., & Changeux, J.-P. "Experimental and Theoretical Approaches to Conscious Processing." Neuron, 70(2), 200–227. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2011.03.018 (Comprehensive review of Global Neuronal Workspace theory, the leading competitor to IIT.)
Dehaene, S., Changeux, J.-P., Naccache, L., et al. "A neuronal model of a global workspace in effortful cognitive tasks." PNAS, 95(24), 14529–14534. 1998. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.95.24.14529 (Original computational formulation of GWT.)
Butlin, P., Long, R., Elmoznino, E., et al. "Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness." arXiv, 2308.08708. 2023. https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.08708 (Rigorous framework for assessing AI systems against neuroscientific theories of consciousness. Derives indicator properties for AI consciousness assessment.)
COGITATE Consortium (Melloni, L., et al.) "Adversarial testing of global neuronal workspace and integrated information theories of consciousness." Nature, 2025. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08888-1 (Landmark adversarial collaboration directly testing IIT and GNW against each other in a pre-registered large-scale study. Results: partial support for both, neither confirmed. Published April 2025.)
Baars, B.J. A Cognitive Theory of Consciousness. Cambridge University Press. 1988. (Original formulation of Global Workspace Theory, precursor to GNW.)
Chalmers, D.J. "Facing up to the problem of consciousness." Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2(3), 200–219. 1995. (Defines the "hard problem" of consciousness — the explanatory gap this project must respect.)
Clark, A., & Chalmers, D.J. "The Extended Mind." Analysis, 58(1), 7–19. 1998. https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/58.1.7 (Philosophical foundation for the idea that cognition extends beyond the skull — direct precursor to BCI ethics and CNPU design philosophy.)
Clark, A. Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human Intelligence. Oxford University Press. 2003.
Metzinger, T. Being No One: The Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity. MIT Press. 2003. (On the phenomenology of self — essential for thinking about identity during Link Mode and HSI.)
Russell, S. Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control. Viking. 2019. (Best mainstream treatment of AI alignment; essential background.)
Bostrom, N. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Oxford University Press. 2014. (Maps the risk landscape for ASI. Prism's approach differs from Bostrom's in key ways — but engages seriously with the same problems.)
LeCun, Y. "A Path Towards Autonomous Machine Intelligence." OpenReview, 2022. https://openreview.net/pdf?id=BZ5a1r-kVsf (Influential framework for world-model-based AI; relevant to Phase 3 and the translation problem.)
Anthropic "Constitutional AI: Harmlessness from AI Feedback." arXiv, 2212.08073. 2022. https://arxiv.org/abs/2212.08073 (Significant work on value alignment through AI self-evaluation.)
Drexler, K.E. Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology. Anchor Books. 1986. (Foundational vision of molecular nanotechnology; the conceptual origin of CNPU nanotech components.)
Freitas, R.A. Nanomedicine, Volume I: Basic Capabilities. Landes Bioscience. 1999. (Most detailed technical treatment of medical nanotechnology; directly relevant to Phase 2 engineering questions.)
Barreto, A., et al. "Nanotechnology-based approaches for neural interfaces: current status and future prospects." ACS Nano, 2023. (representative of the field) (On the state of nano-scale neural interfaces and the gap to CNPU requirements.)
Floridi, L., et al. "An Ethical Framework for a Good AI Society: Opportunities, Risks, Principles, and Recommendations." Minds and Machines, 28, 689–707. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-018-9482-5
Vallor, S. Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting. Oxford University Press. 2016.
Metzinger, T. "Artificial Suffering: An Argument for a Global Moratorium on Synthetic Phenomenology." Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness, 8(01). 2021. https://doi.org/10.1142/S2705078521500023 (On the ethics of potentially creating suffering in AI systems — directly relevant to Phase 3 consent questions.)
Schwitzgebel, E., & Garza, M. "A Defense of the Rights of Artificial Intelligences." Midwest Studies in Philosophy, 39(1), 98–119. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1111/misp.12032
Margulis, L. Symbiosis in Cell Evolution. W.H. Freeman. 1981. (Scientific foundation of the endosymbiotic theory — mitochondria as former free-living bacteria. The biological precedent for the project's central metaphor.)
Turing, A.M. "Computing Machinery and Intelligence." Mind, 59(236), 433–460. 1950. https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/LIX.236.433 (The origin of the question of machine intelligence.)
Wiener, N. The Human Use of Human Beings: Cybernetics and Society. Houghton Mifflin. 1950. (Foundational framing of the relationship between humans and information systems.)
Sandberg, A., & Bostrom, N. "Whole Brain Emulation: A Roadmap." Technical Report #2008-3, Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford University. 2008. https://gwern.net/doc/ai/scaling/hardware/2008-sandberg-wholebrainemulationroadmap.pdf (Most comprehensive technical roadmap for mind uploading/emulation; foundational for thinking about Phase 4 prerequisites.)
Goldman Sachs Research (Du, J., et al.) "The global market for humanoid robots could reach $38 billion by 2035." Goldman Sachs Insights. February 2024. https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/the-global-market-for-robots-could-reach-38-billion-by-2035 (Baseline projection for humanoid robot deployment used in three-billion.md. Projects 1.4 million units shipped by 2035, $38B market; blue-sky scenario: mass consumer adoption.)
International Federation of Robotics (IFR) World Robotics Report. Annual series. https://ifr.org/worldrobotics/ (The authoritative annual count of industrial robot installations globally; foundational data for scenarios.)
Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. W.W. Norton. 2014. (On the economic and labor implications of automation at scale.)
This list is not exhaustive. It represents the primary scientific and philosophical sources that inform the Prism framework. For each phase of the project, dedicated reference sections will be developed in the phase documents.
Corrections and additions welcome: open an issue in the repository.