The Permission Ladder
How much autonomy you give an AI permission to have.
Higher rung = more autonomy, more standing access ↑
Auto
A trigger presses go - a clock or an incoming email. Nobody watches it run.
Delegate
You press go and walk away. It only moves when you tell it to.
Ask
You ask, it answers. Nothing happens without you.
The trade
Each rung up means more standing access, held whether you're there or not. That, not how clever the tool is, is what you're really deciding.
When to use Onboarding AI like a new hire. Grant the rung a task actually needs: most useful work lives at Delegate, an easier yes than Auto.
Read the full story →