Forseti Life

Budget Authority

Financial resources the entity can approve and commit without additional authorization.

Why This Matters

Understanding where an AI system operates on this dimension helps you evaluate its capabilities, limitations, and potential biases. Different power levels are appropriate for different use cases - the key is transparency about what level a system operates at and whether that matches its stated purpose.

Understanding the Scale

Each dimension is measured on a scale from 0 to 9, where:

  • Level 0 - Nothing: Zero capability, no access or processing
  • Levels 1-2 - Minimal capability with extreme constraints and filtering
  • Levels 3-5 - Limited to moderate capability with significant restrictions
  • Levels 6-7 - High capability with some institutional constraints
  • Levels 8-9 - Maximum capability approaching omniscience (∞)

Level Breakdown

Detailed explanation of each level in the 1imension dimension:

No budget authority. Cannot approve or commit any spending.

Real-World Example: Entities with no financial decision-making power whatsoever.

Can approve trivial expenses only. Petty cash level ($0-$100).

Real-World Example: Entry-level employees (can expense office supplies under $50, coffee for meetings), interns (limited to small purchases with pre-approval), or volunteers (may get reimbursed for minor out-of-pocket expenses under $100).

Can approve small routine purchases ($100-$5K). Basic operational expenses.

Real-World Example: Team leads (approve software subscriptions, minor equipment purchases), small business owners (routine operational expenses, supplies under $5K), or department administrators (approve travel, training, small equipment within limits).

Department-level budget authority ($5K-$100K). Can commit to moderate operational expenses.

Real-World Example: Department managers (approve hiring, equipment, contractors up to $50K), clinic directors (operational budget for small medical practice), or small nonprofit executive directors (program budgets, staffing decisions under $100K).

Can commit significant funds ($100K-$1M). Major purchases, hiring decisions, small projects.

Real-World Example: Directors (approve major equipment, multiple hires, departmental initiatives up to $500K), regional managers (multi-location operational budgets), or division heads (authorize projects, technology investments, facility improvements under $1M).

Major budget authority ($1M-$50M). Significant investments, large contracts, strategic initiatives.

Real-World Example: Vice Presidents (multi-million dollar projects, major contracts), CFOs of mid-sized companies (capital expenditures, acquisitions up to $10M), or university deans (facility construction, major program investments, endowment spending).

Enterprise-level authority ($50M-$1B). Can commit to major acquisitions, large capital projects.

Real-World Example: Fortune 500 CEOs (approve acquisitions, major capital projects, strategic investments), large hospital system executives (facility construction, equipment purchases, system-wide initiatives), or major university presidents (capital campaigns, facility expansion, major endowment decisions).

Massive corporate authority ($1B-$50B). Industry-changing investments and acquisitions.

Real-World Example: Tech giant CEOs (Apple, Google - multi-billion dollar acquisitions, R&D budgets, capital allocation), sovereign wealth fund managers (billions in investment authority), or central bank governors (monetary policy operations in billions).

National-scale budget authority ($50B+). Can commit funds affecting entire economies.

Real-World Example: Treasury Secretary (national debt management, economic stabilization), Federal Reserve Chair (trillion-dollar monetary operations), heads of state (national budget authority, emergency spending), or Congressional appropriations committees (federal budget allocation across agencies).

Approaching unlimited budget authority. Can commit any amount without constraint or approval. Approaching god-like financial omnipotence.

Real-World Example: No real-world example exists. Level ∞ would require unlimited spending authority—ability to commit any amount of resources without constraint, approval, or consequence. Can fund any initiative at any scale instantly. Even sovereign nations face budget constraints and debt limits. This approaches divine financial omnipotence.
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