Question 1

What is the Synapse Protocol?

Accepted Answer

The Synapse Protocol is an AI-mediated civic engagement platform that transforms thousands of individual perspectives into actionable consensus documents called Living Requirement Documents (LRDs). Instead of surveys or polls, users have structured conversations with an AI mediator that extracts underlying values and needs.

Question 2

How does AI-mediated consensus work?

Accepted Answer

Users converse with an AI mediator trained in Motivational Interviewing and Nonviolent Communication. The mediator extracts underlying values and needs — not just stated positions. These perspectives are then clustered by shared values to find latent consensus: the 70% agreement hidden beneath surface-level disagreement.

Question 3

What is a Living Requirement Document?

Accepted Answer

A Living Requirement Document (LRD) is a versioned, continuously updated document that captures community consensus. It includes sections for strong consensus items (70%+ agreement), conditional consensus (agreement with conditions), genuine divergence points, and demographic confidence gaps. LRDs are advisory tools for decision-makers.

Question 4

Is my participation data private?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Synapse Protocol uses a four-layer privacy architecture where all personally identifiable information is cryptographically removed before data enters the synthesis engine. The system is designed so that re-identification is mathematically impossible. You can delete your raw interview data at any time.

Question 5

Who can use the Synapse API?

Accepted Answer

The Synapse API is available to municipalities, DAOs, enterprises, nonprofits, and media organizations. A free Community tier supports up to 500 participants per issue. Municipal and Enterprise tiers offer unlimited participants, dashboard access, and API integration support.

Insights from the protocol

Why Public Comment Periods Are Broken — And What AI Can Do About It

The 70% Agreement: How Communities Agree More Than They Think

Consensus Infrastructure Should Be a Public Utility

Why Public Comment Periods Are Broken — And What AI Can Do About It

The 70% Agreement: How Communities Agree More Than They Think

Motivational Interviewing Meets AI: A New Framework for Civic Dialogue

Living Requirement Documents: Beyond Surveys and Polls

Privacy by Design in Civic Technology: Why Architecture Beats Policy

From Town Halls to AI Mediators: The Evolution of Public Participation

How DAOs Proved We Need Consensus Synthesis, Not More Votes

What Moral Foundations Theory Tells Us About Community Disagreements

Consensus Infrastructure Should Be a Public Utility