In every government AI strategy meeting, the moment things get uncomfortable, someone says it. "Keep a human in the loop." Everyone nods. Tension drops. We move on. But I have started stopping the room. Because that phrase does not answer the one question that matters. What is that human actually doing? In too many agencies, the answer is reviewing output, fixing errors, and cleaning up after the machine. We took our most experienced people and gave them a glorified proofreading job. That is not oversight. That is waste. Human judgment belongs upstream, setting standards, spotting patterns, and making the AI better every single time it runs.
“Keep a Human in the Loop” Sounds Good. But What Is That Human Actually Doing?
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