---
title: "Human in the loop or human on the loop?"
description: "With every automation, you choose how much oversight you keep. The difference between approving every step and watching with your hand on the brake, and how you choose what fits your process."
language: en
source: https://coachsteff.live/en/mens-in-of-op-de-lus
---

# Human in the loop or human on the loop?

As soon as you automate something with AI, a question arises that is often asked too late: where do I stand in this process? Am I still doing something, am I just watching, or am I completely out of it? The answer determines how reliable your automation becomes, and how much time it actually saves you.

## Two forms of oversight

In my workshops, I make a distinction between two forms. The human in the loop and the human on the loop. It sounds like a play on words, but the difference is big.

A human in the loop approves every step. The AI makes a proposal, you look at it, and only after your approval does it continue. Every email is proofread before it leaves. Every invoice is checked before it is booked.

A human on the loop watches and can intervene, but does not approve everything. The process runs, you get an overview, and you intervene if something deviates. You are the supervisor with your hand on the brake, not the inspector on the assembly line.