# Human in the Loop

> An interaction model in which a person contributes to a decision before the system can continue.

- HTML version: https://robbiepalmer.me/ideas/human-in-the-loop

Human in the loop puts human judgment on the critical path. A system may prepare a
recommendation, extract information, or propose an action, but the workflow waits for a person to
confirm, correct, choose, or reject it.

The phrase names an interaction model. The same operator may work in the loop for an ambiguous
case while routine cases proceed automatically. That distinction affects capacity and latency. If
every case waits for review, automation may only rearrange the manual work. If none do, the system
can turn uncertain output into action without judgment.

The model fits decisions where ambiguity needs expert interpretation or the cost of a wrong action
requires approval. The interface must show the evidence behind the proposed decision, record what
the person decided, and return that decision to the system as data.

## Questions it prompts

* Which conditions require a person to decide before work continues?
* What evidence and context do they need?
* What happens if nobody responds?
* How will corrections feed later evaluation and improvement?

## Related ideas

- [Human on the Loop](https://robbiepalmer.me/ideas/human-on-the-loop.md): An interaction model in which automation acts within set bounds while a person monitors it and can intervene.

## Where it appears

- Project: [Intelligent Document Processing](https://robbiepalmer.me/projects/intelligent-document-processing.md)

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