Only if the reviewer can see exactly what will happen and has the time and authority to say no. A click on approve is not evidence of a review.
There’s a person in the loop, so isn’t it covered?
An approval gate can become a habit. Ask what would make this particular review meaningful.
1. Show the decision, not a vague summary.
Proposed action. Exactly what will be sent or changed, and for whom.
Support. The source, the current state and the reason for the proposal.
Consequence. What happens if it is approved, rejected or deferred.
A fictional example: one visible proposal.
- Vague
- “Approve customer email?”
- Better
- The recipient, the complete draft, the supporting order details and any promise it makes.
- Keep the match
- If the recipient or content changes, it needs a new approval.
2. Give the reviewer a workable job.
Match the workload to someone with the authority, time and information to decide. Remove duplicate alerts and improve the presentation.
Practical check: Change approval boundaries only through an agreed review, not to make the queue disappear.
3. Rehearse with an intentional mistake.
Use a test environment and a fictional proposal with a wrong recipient or value. Can the reviewer identify the issue, reject the action and explain what needs correcting? No real action should run during the exercise.
Practical check: Approval activity is not evidence of review quality.
Read more: Answer, Prepare or Act: How Much Should an AI Agent Do? · AI Agent Permissions: What Can Your Agent See and Do?
The example is fictional. This is general guidance, not a complete review of your controls.