Human-in-the-loop AI governance means certain AI actions require human approval before they execute. The principle is simple: consequential or high-risk actions are held for a human decision-maker, while routine actions proceed automatically. The implementation is harder.
The first decision is which actions require approval. Not every action needs a human in the loop. An agent that summarises documents does not need approval for each summary. An agent that approves payments above a threshold does. The test is consequence: financial, regulatory, data-protection or operational.
Define the approval threshold clearly. A payment agent might be permitted to approve transactions up to a defined value without approval, with anything above that value held for a human. The threshold must be explicit and enforceable, not a guideline.
Configure the hold behaviour. When an action requires approval, VORTIQ-X holds the action and routes it to the defined approver. The approver sees the request, the governance context and the authority boundary that triggered the hold. They can approve, deny or request more information.
Set a timeout. If an approver does not respond within a defined window, the action should not proceed by default. It should either be denied or escalated to a secondary approver. Silent timeout is a governance gap.
Record the approval decision. Every approval, denial and escalation is evidence. The request, the governance context, the authority boundary, the approver's identity and the decision are all recorded back into the ServiceNow governance record.
Test the approval path. Verify that actions above the threshold are held, that approvers receive the request, and that the action only executes after approval. The most common failure is configuring the threshold but not testing the hold behaviour.
Karvin configures human approval points using VORTIQ-X runtime authority, integrated with ServiceNow governance workflows. If you are implementing human-in-the-loop controls, our AI Authority Readiness Assessment helps define which actions need approval.
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