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human-on-the-loop
also HOTL or human on the loop or human-on-loop oversight
Definition of human-on-the-loop
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: describing an AI oversight arrangement in which a system operates autonomously while a person monitors its behavior and can pause, override, or stop it when necessary
- The payment agent runs under human-on-the-loop oversight, so an operator can halt a suspicious transfer without approving every routine one.
- A human-on-the-loop control room monitored the delivery robots and intervened only when an alert crossed a risk threshold.
Origin & history
The term predates modern generative AI and has been used in autonomous-systems governance to distinguish supervision from direct human participation. It became more visible in agentic AI guidance as governments and security agencies described systems that act independently while remaining subject to real-time human intervention.
Editorial references
Sources & further reading
- Agentic AI addendum: Key terms↗ Official Government Guidance · Australian Government Digital Transformation Agency · 2026
- Agentic AI addendum: Introduction↗ Official Government Guidance · Australian Government Digital Transformation Agency · 2026
- Managing the cyber risk of agentic AI↗ Official Security Guidance · UK National Cyber Security Centre · 2026-09
Test yourself
Which of these is the meaning of human-on-the-loop?
Cite this entry
"Human-on-the-loop." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/human-on-the-loop/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.