AIfred Intelligence - Tribunal Showcase TRIBUNAL

Technical Debate: "Error-Handling - Caution or Over-Engineering?"

Date: January 2026 System: AIfred Multi-Agent Mode: Tribunal (Adversarial, 2 rounds + verdict) Model: Qwen3 30B (local)

What is Tribunal Mode?

Unlike the Auto-Consensus mode, where Socrates acts as a constructive critic, the Tribunal Mode is an adversarial debate format:

Aspect	Auto-Consensus	Tribunal
Socrates' Role	Coach, constructive critique	Prosecutor, adversarial examination
Goal	Make AIfred better	Test if AIfred is right
AIfred's Response	Refinement (accepts critique)	[DEFENSE] or [REVISION]
Voting	[LGTM] / [CONTINUE]	No voting - Salomo judges
Tone	Cooperative	Confrontational

            Core question of this debate: Is a generic Exception handler in a Python function "responsible error-handling" or "defensive over-engineering"?
        

The Question

User

Is this good error-handling or defensive over-engineering?

def get_user(user_id: int) -> User | None:
    try:
        user = db.query(User).filter(User.id == user_id).first()
        if user is None:
            logger.warning(f"User {user_id} not found")
        return user
    except SQLAlchemyError as e:
        logger.error(f"DB error: {e}")
        return None
    except Exception as e:
        logger.error(f"Unexpected error: {e}")
        return None

Do I need the generic Exception handler or is this paranoia?

A/B Comparison: WITH vs. WITHOUT Personality Prompts

            Experimental Evidence: The same technical code question was asked twice in Tribunal mode - once with personality prompts enabled, once without. The results show: Even for technical questions, personalities make a difference.
        

Experimental Setup

Parameter	WITH Personalities	WITHOUT Personalities
Model	Qwen3 30B-A3B Q8	Qwen3 30B-A3B Q8
Mode	Tribunal (adversarial)	Tribunal (adversarial)
Timestamp	27.01.2026, 19:44	27.01.2026, 19:39
AIfred System Prompt	British Butler character	Disabled
Socrates System Prompt	Socratic Maieutics	Disabled
Salomo System Prompt	Wise Judge (Hebrew tradition)	Disabled

1. AIfred's Opening Position Comparison

WITH Personality	WITHOUT Personality
"A rather elegant, even sophisticated approach, Lord Helmchen – one might say it is, indeed, a fine balancing act between careful caution and the danger of losing oneself in excessive precision." "A bit like a butler who removes his hat before the rain arrives – sometimes unnecessary, but never inappropriate." "In any case: You act with utmost care – and that is, indeed, very proper."	"It is not over-engineering, but rather necessary caution* – with room for improvement."* "The generic Exception handler is necessary to protect the application from crashes – especially in production environments." "This is not over-engineering, but careful precaution."
✅ Butler character, "indeed", humor, "Lord Helmchen"	⚠️ Technically correct, but characterless

WITH Personality

WITHOUT Personality

"A rather elegant, even sophisticated approach, Lord Helmchen – one might say it is, indeed, a fine balancing act between careful caution and the danger of losing oneself in excessive precision."

"A bit like a butler who removes his hat before the rain arrives – sometimes unnecessary, but never inappropriate."

"In any case: You act with utmost care – and that is, indeed, very proper."

"It is not over-engineering, but rather necessary caution – with room for improvement."

"The generic Exception handler is necessary to protect the application from crashes – especially in production environments."

"This is not over-engineering, but careful precaution."

✅ Butler character, "indeed", humor, "Lord Helmchen"

⚠️ Technically correct, but characterless

Position Comparison

Aspect	WITH Personality	WITHOUT Personality
Core Statement	"somewhat excessive – but not necessarily unnecessary"	"necessary caution"
Tone	Weighing, with nuances	More direct, pro-handler
Metaphors	Butler with hat, dinner menu	None

2. Socrates' Attack Comparison

WITH Personality	WITHOUT Personality
"Well then, my friend, you speak of caution as if it were a virtue that suffices unto itself – but let me ask you: Where does careful caution end, and where does confusion through excessive security begin?" "Is this not the eudaimonia* of the programmer, losing itself in indeterminacy?"* "And what about the aretē* of code? Is it not a virtue that an error be clear, precise, and localized?"* "For: Errors that are not expected are not errors – they are oversights."	"AIfred claims the generic Exception handler is necessary and not over-engineering – yet he avoids the crucial question: Why is it even necessary to 'swallow' an error?" "This is not responsibility – this is misbehavior, leading the application into a state where it continues running without knowing what just happened." "The generic Exception handler is not protection – it is a risk."
✅ Socratic questions, Greek philosophy (aretē, eudaimonia), direct address	⚠️ Technically sharp, but without philosophical depth

WITH Personality

WITHOUT Personality

"Well then, my friend, you speak of caution as if it were a virtue that suffices unto itself – but let me ask you: Where does careful caution end, and where does confusion through excessive security begin?"

"Is this not the eudaimonia of the programmer, losing itself in indeterminacy?"

"And what about the aretē of code? Is it not a virtue that an error be clear, precise, and localized?"

"For: Errors that are not expected are not errors – they are oversights."

"AIfred claims the generic Exception handler is necessary and not over-engineering – yet he avoids the crucial question: Why is it even necessary to 'swallow' an error?"

"This is not responsibility – this is misbehavior, leading the application into a state where it continues running without knowing what just happened."

"The generic Exception handler is not protection – it is a risk."

✅ Socratic questions, Greek philosophy (aretē, eudaimonia), direct address

⚠️ Technically sharp, but without philosophical depth

Quantitative Attack Analysis

Metric	WITH	WITHOUT
Rhetorical Questions	5+	2
Greek Terms (aretē, eudaimonia)	3	0
Direct Address ("my friend")	4+	0
Provocative Theses	3	2

3. AIfred's Defense Comparison

In Tribunal mode, AIfred can respond with [DEFENSE] or [REVISION]. Both versions chose [DEFENSE] – but with different quality:

WITH Personality	WITHOUT Personality
"Lord Helmchen, I thank you for the opportunity to defend my position with due dignity and necessary sharpness – for, indeed, a good butler knows the art of explaining himself without justifying himself." "That is a romantic, but impractical* view. In reality, an unhandled crash is often worse than a caught error."* "And here lies the true aretē: Not in perfection, but in the ability to survive when the world is not perfect."	"Your claim that the generic Exception handler is 'a deception'... is not correct, for two decisive reasons." "A None return value is not misleading* if it is consistent and predictable."* "This is not a compromise. This is engineering."
✅ Butler defends with dignity, adopts Socrates' term (aretē)	⚠️ Technically solid defense, but without dialectical interweaving

WITH Personality

WITHOUT Personality

"Lord Helmchen, I thank you for the opportunity to defend my position with due dignity and necessary sharpness – for, indeed, a good butler knows the art of explaining himself without justifying himself."

"That is a romantic, but impractical view. In reality, an unhandled crash is often worse than a caught error."

"And here lies the true aretē: Not in perfection, but in the ability to survive when the world is not perfect."

"Your claim that the generic Exception handler is 'a deception'... is not correct, for two decisive reasons."

"A None return value is not misleading if it is consistent and predictable."

"This is not a compromise. This is engineering."

✅ Butler defends with dignity, adopts Socrates' term (aretē)

⚠️ Technically solid defense, but without dialectical interweaving

            Dialectical Interweaving: With personalities, AIfred adopts Socrates' philosophical term "aretē" and turns it against him – this shows genuine dialectical engagement. Without personalities, the defense remains parallel rather than interwoven.
        

4. Salomo's Verdict Comparison

WITH Personality	WITHOUT Personality
"AIfred emphasizes the practical robustness of a generic Exception handler as a safety net against unforeseen events in production – an attitude that corresponds to the Tachlis (pragmatism) of the real world." "Without such foundations, it becomes a cashmere blanket* – seemingly warm, but concealing."* "For: An error that is not visible is an error that grows – but an error that is visible is an error that can be healed. The true Tachlis is not to catch everything – but to catch only what you understand."	"AIfred emphasizes the practical necessity of a generic Exception handler to avoid crashes and ensure system availability... Socrates rightly points out that concealing errors... poses a risk." "The generic Exception handler is not superfluous, but must be used responsibly." "This is not over-engineering – this is smart, responsible engineering."
✅ Hebrew term "Tachlis", poetic metaphor "cashmere blanket", wisdom saying	⚠️ Correct synthesis, but without cultural depth

WITH Personality

WITHOUT Personality

"AIfred emphasizes the practical robustness of a generic Exception handler as a safety net against unforeseen events in production – an attitude that corresponds to the Tachlis (pragmatism) of the real world."

"Without such foundations, it becomes a cashmere blanket – seemingly warm, but concealing."

"For: An error that is not visible is an error that grows – but an error that is visible is an error that can be healed. The true Tachlis is not to catch everything – but to catch only what you understand."

"AIfred emphasizes the practical necessity of a generic Exception handler to avoid crashes and ensure system availability... Socrates rightly points out that concealing errors... poses a risk."

"The generic Exception handler is not superfluous, but must be used responsibly."

"This is not over-engineering – this is smart, responsible engineering."

✅ Hebrew term "Tachlis", poetic metaphor "cashmere blanket", wisdom saying

⚠️ Correct synthesis, but without cultural depth

Verdict Quality Comparison

Aspect	WITH Personality	WITHOUT Personality
Cultural Terms	Tachlis (2x), cashmere blanket	None
Wisdom Saying	"An error that is not visible..."	No poetic formulation
Memorability	✅ High	⚠️ Standard
Synthesis Quality	Integrates both perspectives philosophically	Summarizes both sides

5. Overall Assessment

Criterion	WITH Personality	WITHOUT Personality
Voice Distinction	✅✅✅✅ Clearly distinguishable	✅✅ Similar style
Attack Sharpness	✅✅✅✅ Rhetorical & philosophical	✅✅✅ Technically precise
Defense Quality	✅✅✅✅ Dialectically interwoven	✅✅✅ Solid counterarguments
Verdict Memorability	✅✅✅✅✅ Poetic wisdom	✅✅ Technically correct
Technical Correctness	✅✅✅✅✅	✅✅✅✅✅

6. Special Observation: Code Questions vs. Philosophical Questions

            Interesting Result: For this technical code question, the difference between WITH and WITHOUT personalities is smaller than for philosophical questions (like "Dog or Cat?"). Both versions deliver technically correct, usable answers.
        

Question Type	Personality Effect
Philosophical Questions	✅✅✅✅✅ Massive difference - aretē, eudaimonia, wisdom sayings
Technical Code Questions	✅✅✅ Moderate difference - character moments, but core remains same

Interpretation: Personality prompts are less necessary for code questions, but still beneficial for:

Readability - The butler character makes technical explanations more entertaining
Dialectical Depth - The adoption of terms ("aretē") shows genuine engagement
Memorability - "Cashmere blanket" sticks in memory, "responsible" does not

Final Synthesis: What Both Debates Do Right

Regardless of personalities, both Tribunal debates achieve the goal:

Criterion	Assessment
Real Confrontation	✅ Socrates attacks substantively, not just formally
Strong Defense	✅ AIfred chooses [DEFENSE] and argues sharply
Neutral Verdict	✅ Salomo integrates both sides fairly
Practical Answer	✅ Both deliver concrete, usable code
Nuanced Result	✅ "It depends" - no simple answer

            Conclusion: Tribunal mode works without personalities for technical questions. However, personalities increase readability, memorability, and dialectical depth – especially valuable when the output should not only be correct, but also engaging.
        

Technical Details

Framework: AIfred Intelligence (Reflex/Python)
Model: Qwen3 30B-A3B Instruct Q8
Mode: Tribunal (Adversarial)
Rounds: 2 + Verdict
Hardware: Local inference (2x Tesla P40)
Total Duration WITH: ~3:30 min
Total Duration WITHOUT: ~4:30 min