Project summary

Current AI alignment focuses on formal constraints after values are set. Dao Heart 3.11 fills the gap with a pre-formal Narrative Layer (Layer 0) that shapes robust human values through stories and lived experience before any code or math.

Grounded in my survival memoir Swimming Upstream and the five-book Little Builder of Light children’s series I authored (all already published on Amazon), the framework uses these as empirical priors for a Constraint-Satisfaction Value Network (CSVN). Original mechanisms include Upstream Commitment Nodes, Warmth Preservation Constraint, Dual-Mode Goldfish Protocol, and Constitutive Reflection Engine.

The production-ready PyTorch v3.11 engine is already public on GitHub (100% my architecture; code assisted by AI).

As a solo independent Canadian researcher with no institutional affiliation or prior funding, I'm seeking $92,000 to dedicate 12 months full-time to refinement: improved docs/testing, demo videos, and technical paper.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Project Goals for Dao Heart 3.11

The primary goal is to refine and publicly strengthen Dao Heart 3.11, the 4-layer AI alignment framework (Layer 0 Narrative + Layers 1 Oversight, 2 Constraints, 3 Value Dynamics), making it more accessible and impactful for the alignment community.

Key sub-goals:

• Improve the already-public PyTorch v3.11 engine on GitHub with better documentation, testing, and integration of the published Little Builder of Light books and Swimming Upstream memoir as narrative priors.

• Produce professional demo videos and a technical paper to demonstrate the framework's value in pre-formal value shaping.

• Ensure the project delivers scalable, warmth-preserving alignment that survives distributional shift.

How to Achieve Them (12-Month Solo Plan):

• Months 1–5: Refine engine code, docs, and tests (all work done independently on my portable setup).

• Months 6–9: Record and edit demo videos using simple tools.

• Months 10–12: Write and release the technical paper, with final integration of narrative elements.

Success is measured by: improved GitHub repo, 5+ demo videos, and a published paper. This low-overhead path turns my survival-grounded insights into practical alignment tools, funded via regrants here.

How will this funding be used?

The $92,000 funding goal supports 12 months of full-time solo refinement for Dao Heart 3.11 as an independent researcher.

Breakdown:

• 87% Stipend ($80,000): Covers living expenses (including Canadian income tax, CPP contributions, and 10% buffer for unexpected costs) so I can dedicate 100% time to refinement from my portable setup (~$6,667/month gross).

• 9% Project Expenses ($8,000): Professional demo video production/editing, AI tool subscriptions, cloud compute for testing.

• 4% Contingency ($4,000): General buffer for any surprises.

This low-overhead budget ensures high-quality deliverables: improved GitHub docs/testing, demo videos, and technical paper. Surplus extends to 15–18 months or better video/compute.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Team and Track Record

Team: I am the sole team member for Dao Heart 3.11 — Mankirat Singh Cheema, an independent Canadian researcher working fully solo from Brampton, Canada. There is no organization, no staff, and no collaborators; all work is 100% individual.

Track Record: This is my first formal project in AI alignment. I have no prior professional, academic, or technical experience in the field. My evidence of execution is the successful self-directed completion of Dao Heart 3.11 itself:

• Designed the complete 4-layer architecture and all 8 original innovations

• Wrote and published the five Little Builder of Light children’s books + Swimming Upstream survival memoir

• Created detailed specifications that produced the working PyTorch v3.11 engine, now publicly available on GitHub (implementation assisted by AI)

This demonstrates I can conceive, persist with, and ship a complex interdisciplinary project entirely on my own.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

Insufficient funding → progress stalls

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

$0. This is the first public funding request; all development has been 100% self-funded and solo.

GitHub Repository (Dao Heart 3.11 engine): https://github.com/Mankirat47/Dao-Heart_3.1

Amazon Books: https://www.amazon.com/author/mankiratsinghcheema

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mankirat-singh-cheema