Avverge

Avverge is a neologism used in discussions of risk management and AI governance. It designates either the process by which a diverse set of risk assessments converges on a single course of action, or the resulting action itself, intended to avert or mitigate an imminent threat. The term is predominantly found in informal online discourse and has not achieved formal status in peer-reviewed literature.

Etymology: The word combines avert and verge, implying action at a critical threshold to prevent harm.

Definition: As a noun, avverge refers to the converged decision. As a verb, to avverge means to reach or implement such a decision. In practice, discussions describe an avverge as a minimal-risk option endorsed across multiple perspectives.

Usage: In a hypothetical deployment scenario, participants argued that the upcoming update would be paused until safety testing is completed—the avverge—balancing speed and safety across stakeholders. Ensemble methods in risk assessments can help produce an avverge by selecting a course of action that minimizes expected harm across models.

History and reception: The term emerged in online forums around the early 2020s and has since seen limited adoption in professional writing. Critics contend that avverge can be ill-defined or conflated with standard risk assessments or precautionary pauses, reducing its usefulness as a precise technical term.

See also: consensus decision-making, risk assessment, emergency pause, ensemble forecasting.