LANDMARK · 6 MIN · USE
Keep a human checkpoint
After this landmark, you can identify which AI outputs need a human approval step, and place that checkpoint before the consequence rather than after.
Some AI output is just a draft; some of it sends an email, moves money, publishes, or acts in the world. The moment an output crosses into consequence, a human should approve it first. The point isn’t to review everything — that defeats the purpose of using AI — it’s to put a deliberate checkpoint at the exact step where a mistake becomes irreversible. Approval placed after the action isn’t oversight; it’s a post-mortem.
This is the canonical concept. It stays the same across learner lenses so personalization never changes the underlying facts.
◌ EVERYDAY LENS
What this looks like for you
Before you send, post, or submit something AI wrote, read it as yourself — the person whose name is on it. That five-second pause is the checkpoint.
MAKE A DECISION
You set up an AI assistant to draft and send follow-up emails to clients. Where should the human checkpoint go?
CARRY THISPick one AI-assisted task you do that has real consequences. Name the exact step where a human must approve before it acts — and make sure one does.