Cole Wyeth writes:

It seems like we actually do not have a good name for the things that AI companies are building, weirdly enough...

This actually slows down my reasoning or at least writing about the topic, because I have to choose from this inadequate list of options repeatedly, often using different nouns in different places. I do not have a good suggestion. Any ideas?

They liked my suggestion of "neuro-scaffold" and suggested I write a short justification.

Definition

A neuro-scaffold means a composite software architecture with two key components:

Neural core: A generative model determined via machine learning techniques that maps prompts to responses. For example, the openai API lets you send prompts and get responses from a neural core, such as one of their GPT-* LLMs.
Scaffold: A non-trivial traditional program that maps responses to prompts. Along the way, it might store or retrieve data or computer code, call computer programs, ask for user input, or take any number of other actions.

Crucially, the design of a neuro-scaffold includes a component of the following form:

[... -> (neural core) -> (scaffold) -> (neural core) -> (scaffold) -> ...]

A neuro-scaffold is any program that combines [...]

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Outline:

(00:41) Definition

(02:26) Rationale

(04:40) What about self-prompter?

(06:21) Examples and counterexamples

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First published:
December 18th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/nuTsukZubsjfPFJXq/neuro-scaffold

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“Neuro-scaffold” by DirectedEvolution

LessWrong (30+ Karma)