Guide · 4 min read

Where to keep a person in the loop

A simple rule for deciding what an automated system may do alone.

Sort actions by reversibility

Reading, classifying and drafting are reversible: a mistake costs a few seconds. Sending, paying and deleting are not. Let the system act alone on the first group and queue the second for approval.

Make uncertainty visible

A system that reports confidence lets you review the doubtful cases and skip the obvious ones. One that hides it forces you to review everything or trust everything.

Log what it did and why

Every automated action should leave a record a person can read: what came in, what the system decided, what it did. Trust follows from being able to check.

Loosen the leash with evidence

Start strict. After weeks of clean runs, relax the approval for the categories where the log shows it earned it. Never relax it for the whole system at once.

Related

All resources

Losing hours to work an AI system could handle?

Tell me about the process. I'll tell you straight whether it's worth automating — no pitch, no obligation.

Book a free audit call