The Delegation Ladder
The Delegation Ladder describes five rungs of authority that may be delegated to an AI, from simple execution to decisions within bounds. The top rung — Set the bounds, deciding what may ever be delegated — is reserved for humans. Permanently.
Common questions
What is the Delegation Ladder?
A five-rung scale of authority that may be delegated to AI, from Ed Fassio’s The Constitution of the Frontier: Execute, Recommend, Decide within bounds, Decide and act with review, and Set the bounds. The final rung — deciding what may ever be delegated — is human-only.
Should AI be allowed to make decisions on its own?
Within bounds a named human set, yes — rung three or four of the Delegation Ladder. What is never delegated is the decision about what may be delegated, and every rung above Execute keeps a named owner and a review trail.
How do we decide what tasks to give AI?
Place each use on the Ladder: start at Execute, and move a rung up only when a named owner is prepared to answer for it, limits are written, and a review trail exists.