The Four-Quadrant Intelligence Map is a taxonomy for discussing types of intelligence across two orthogonal dimensions: reification and consciousness. It is designed to reduce category errors in AI discourse. It is an analytical tool, not an ontology.
Operational definitions:
- Reification: treating provisional models, abstractions, or internal representations as fixed, literal entities—especially under uncertainty or optimization pressure.
- Consciousness: subjective experience (“what it is like”). Performance and self-report are not, by themselves, evidence of subjective experience.
The Map
| Reifying | Non-reifying | |
| Conscious | Q1 | Q2 |
| Non-conscious | Q3 | Q4 |
Crossing the two axes yields four possible types or modes of intelligence:
- Q1: conscious + reifying
- Q2: conscious + non-reifying
- Q3: non-conscious + reifying
- Q4: non-conscious + non-reifying
Null Hypothesis
CAW treats frontier AI systems as Q3 by default unless evidence compels reclassification. Because claims of Q1, Q2, or Q4 classification carry high-stakes implications, CAW prioritizes behavior under constraint, replication, and convergent signals across tasks over single demonstrations or self-description. RDP-style diagnostics can support or challenge a classification judgment, but no single test is conclusive.