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Direct answer · reviewed July 23, 2026

Where should human review sit in a small-business AI workflow?

Put an active human approval before an AI output is sent, published, paid, used to change access, recorded as a decision, or allowed to affect a customer, employee, or public claim.

Key points

  • The reviewer needs the source and draft together.
  • The reviewer has authority to reject, rewrite, or stop the workflow.
  • Approval is explicit rather than assumed.
  • Unusual and high-consequence cases return to a person.

Limits and exceptions

  • A click is not meaningful oversight when the reviewer lacks evidence, time, training, or authority.
  • Human review cannot cure a prohibited input or invalid purpose.

Related operating concepts