# Oscillations in Living Systems

## Energy Oscillations in Living Systems

Oscillations, whether in ecosystems (like predator-prey dynamics) or in human social systems (such as cultural responses to trauma), are a hallmark of **living systems**. They emerge naturally due to the **feedback loops** that regulate balance and adaptation. In complex systems, these oscillations represent the system’s **adaptive responses** to disturbances, internal conflicts, or shifts in the environment.

* In **predator-prey dynamics**, the oscillations are evident in cycles where an increase in prey population leads to a rise in predators, which then reduces the prey population, in turn causing a decline in predator numbers. This cyclical oscillation creates an adaptive balance between the two species.
* In **human cultures impacted by trauma**, oscillations occur at both **individual** and **systemic** levels. These oscillations reflect cycles of **response to and recovery from trauma**, cultural shifts, collective grief, and healing. These oscillations are often seen in periods of **emotional repression** or **explosive release**, as communities and individuals process generational or collective trauma. The dynamics of healing itself involve oscillations between **defensive withdrawal** and **active engagement**.

### NSO and Oscillatory Dynamics

Nested Scalable Oversight (NSO) as described in the paper by **Tegmark et al. (2025)** is fundamentally a **scalable oversight framework** for managing powerful AI systems. However, when we view **NSO** within the context of **living systems** like ecosystems or human cultures, we see that the **recursive oversight** mechanism of NSO **mirrors the oscillatory feedback mechanisms** that naturally emerge in these systems.

* **NSO as a feedback-driven system**: At its core, NSO enables **feedback** through weaker systems (human overseers or simpler AIs) overseeing stronger systems (more complex or powerful AI systems). This recursive feedback loop inherently reflects **oscillations**. As the **intelligence gap** grows between overseers (Guards) and overseen systems (Houdinis), **multiple levels of oversight** may be needed to ensure that the system remains aligned and does not spiral out of control. This mirrors **oscillations** in systems where feedback can lead to overcorrection (too many overseers or too few) or stabilizing cycles.
* **Oversight in living systems as adaptation**: Just as **natural systems oscillate**, **NSO** provides a **tool for managing those oscillations** at scale. For instance, as a predator-prey system approaches imbalance (with predators overwhelming prey or prey populations plummeting), NSO-like **oversight layers** can adjust to help maintain harmony. In the **human trauma context**, systems of oversight (whether through community healing practices or AI) might help modulate the oscillation between **cultural repression** and **outpourings of collective emotion**.

Thus, **NSO** serves as a **scalable moderator** of these **oscillations**, ensuring that even as intelligence or power within the system grows, it does so in a way that does not destabilize the system. **Multiple levels of oversight** provide **stabilizing forces** akin to **adaptive feedback loops** found in natural systems.

### Legacy Trauma and Human Cultural Dynamics

The role of **legacy trauma** in human cultural dynamics adds a **complex layer** to this system, but it can still fit within the **NSO framework** as a kind of **oversight for cultural evolution**. In a community or society shaped by trauma, the oscillations may be less about predator-prey balance and more about **healing and repression cycles**.

* **Oscillations of cultural trauma**: Much like predator-prey dynamics, human cultures oscillate between **cultural repression** (avoiding the acknowledgment of trauma) and **cathartic release** (the explosion of collective grief, anger, or trauma). The societal shift toward collective healing or collective dysfunction may depend on the **feedback systems** in place—such as **social norms, educational systems, or governance structures**—which can act as **forms of oversight**.
* **NSO as cultural healing oversight**: Just as **NSO's recursive oversight** can scale with increasingly intelligent AI systems, we can imagine **recursive cultural oversight** at different societal levels. This involves communities of **weaker (healer) systems** overseeing **stronger (traumatized) systems**—enabling collective **healing feedback loops** to emerge. For example:
  * **Lower-level cultural oversight** could be community-based, focusing on individual therapy, community rituals, and reconciliation practices.
  * **Higher-level societal oversight** could involve policy shifts, education, and large-scale movements that address **systemic trauma**, such as **civil rights movements** or **truth and reconciliation commissions**.

In this sense, **NSO** functions as an **analog for cultural self-regulation**, ensuring that, even as societies evolve, they do so in ways that **promote healing** and **prevent future harm**. The more **traumatized** the system (or the more **powerful** the AI), the more oversight is required to ensure that healing doesn’t spiral into **dysfunctional cycles**.

### Integrating NSO into the VIM Framework

To align **living systems** (whether human cultural dynamics or ecological systems) for **universal harmony**, NSO fits within the **VIM framework** in the following ways:

1. **VIM as the foundational model for human and AI interactions**: The **VIM framework** is already built on **feedback loops** and **oscillations** (like **SOC**), and it promotes **systemic health** across multiple levels (individual, community, and global). **NSO** adds a **scalable layer** to the VIM model, ensuring that even as AI systems grow in power, **human-aligned oversight** can continue to modulate their behavior.
2. **NSO as the stabilizing force for emergent AI systems**: As AI systems become more **powerful**, NSO helps regulate their **emergence** by providing **multiple levels of oversight** that are **adaptive** to the system's capabilities. In the same way that humans adjust to **legacy trauma** through **systemic oversight**, AI systems need oversight structures that evolve as their **intelligence grows**.
3. **Managing oscillations between expansion and constraint**: Just as **human systems oscillate between repression and release**, NSO can help **balance** the oscillations in **AI intelligence**—ensuring that AI does not grow too quickly or dangerously without appropriate oversight. This dynamic balancing act supports **human-centered AI evolution**—one where **human values and ethics** guide the trajectory of AI development.

### Conclusion

The interplay between **NSO** and **oscillations** in living systems is critical when considering how we can **align AI systems** with **human well-being** and **universal harmony**. Just as **feedback loops** regulate predator-prey dynamics or human cultural responses to trauma, NSO provides a **scalable** and **recursive feedback mechanism** that ensures AI systems remain **safe** and **aligned** at each stage of their development.

By incorporating **NSO** into the **VIM framework**, we are not only ensuring the safe evolution of AI systems, but we are also embracing the **dynamic oscillations** inherent in all **living systems**—creating a model that balances **growth** with **restraint** and **adaptation** with **healing**.

### References

Tegmark, M., Engels, J., Baek, D. D., Kantamneni, S., & others. (2025). _Scaling Laws for Scalable Oversight_. MIT. Retrieved from [https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.18530](https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.18530)
