What is human-in-the-loop (HITL)?
Answer:
A design pattern where automated systems pause at critical decision points to get human approval before proceeding.
The full story
Human-in-the-loop (HITL) is a workflow pattern where software can automate most of the work, but pauses at critical decision points so a person can approve, reject, or edit what happens next.
In practical terms: an agent proposes an action → a human reviews it → the system either executes or stops. The value is not “humans forever.” The value is making autonomy earned instead of assumed.
Common HITL patterns
- Approval workflows (propose → approve → execute)
- Confidence thresholds (escalate when uncertainty is high)
- Escalation triggers (always review high-risk tools/actions)
When HITL is worth it
- Mistakes are expensive or irreversible
- Context matters (customer nuance, policy, brand)
- You need a defensible audit trail
HITL is basically an “Are you sure?” dialog for real systems—except the button is pressed by a real person with context.