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AIP defines one shared way for platforms, brand agents, and operators to govern commercial participation and settle outcomes.

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Core roles

AIP involves three main actors: Each AIP request moves through these three roles in a predictable flow.

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Core primitive: Participation

Participation is the act of a commercial entity being allowed to influence or execute a user’s decision within an AI system. AIP defines two types of participation: This distinction is what separates AIP from traditional advertising. The protocol governs both influence and execution.

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Decision lifecycle

Below is the lifecycle of an AIP decision, from intent to settlement:
  1. User expresses intent inside an AI conversation.
  2. Platform sends anonymized context to the Operator using a PlatformRequest.
  3. Operator evaluates participation eligibility.
  4. If eligible, Operator runs selection (auction or rules).
  5. Operator determines the interaction mode (recommend or delegate).
  6. Selected brand agent participates - either contributing to the response or receiving a session handoff.
  7. User interacts, completes a task, or does nothing.
  8. Operator verifies the outcome and settles payment.

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Decision lifecycle events

AIP tracks four stages of a decision lifecycle. Only the highest-value event in a lifecycle is billable per serve_token. A lower event upgrades to a higher one if it occurs. No event is billed twice.

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Verification and settlement

Every AIP event uses a serve_token that links all downstream actions. The serve token is generated once per selection outcome and cannot be reused. This guarantees:
  • one verified charge per lifecycle
  • no double billing
  • consistent upgrade rules (task_completed over interaction_started over exposure_shown)
  • deterministic settlement through connected wallets
Settlements use signed ledger records that both platforms and brands can audit.

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Transparency and compliance

AIP is designed to be simple and verifiable:
  • no personal identifiers required
  • every event is signed
  • works with any operator that supports the schema
  • full audit trail is available to all parties
  • the protocol is transport-agnostic and can coexist with other systems