Human in the loop
Also called HITL, approval gate, human approval
A design in which an AI agent's action waits for a person's approval before it happens.
An AI agent can act without anyone pressing a button. Human in the loop puts the button back for the actions that matter: the agent prepares the step, and a person approves it before it runs.
The approval is only as good as its design. If the agent decides when to ask, an agent that has gone wrong also decides not to. If the rule sits in the agent's instructions, it is a request the agent may not follow. And if the approver is shown the agent's own summary, they are approving a description. A polished explanation is easy to say yes to.
A sound gate covers a short list of actions that can't be undone, is enforced in the tool, and shows the approver the exact recipient, amount or records involved.
For example
An agent prepares a refund of £900 and stops. A supervisor sees the customer, the amount and the reason, and approves it before any money moves.
Put it to use
Where you'll meet human in the loop in ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, how to use it there, and the mix-up most people make.
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