SYSTEM DESIGN · 3 MIN READ
Where a human should stay in the loop
How to decide which actions can run automatically and which need a person’s approval.
A useful AI system does not need to act independently at every step. The right boundary depends on what could happen when an output is wrong and how easily the action can be reversed.
Separate a suggestion from an action
Drafting an email and sending an email are different decisions. Let the system prepare work where that helps, then put approval at the point of consequence. For unfamiliar requests, incomplete context or sensitive actions, a clear handoff is a feature of the design.
Make the exception path visible
Name the person who handles exceptions. Give them enough context to understand what happened and a way to pause the workflow. Review the kinds of cases that arrive there. Over time, those observations reveal which rules need refinement and which decisions should remain with people.