Glossary · 6 · Quality, risk and governance
Human in the loop
Also known as: HITL
German: Mensch in der Schleife
Human in the loop is a design principle in which a qualified person reviews, corrects or approves an AI system’s output or action at defined points before it takes effect, and remains accountable for the result.
- Beginner
- Technical writers
- Technical marketers
- Technical project managers
- Developers
In one sentence
Human in the loop explained: where people review and approve AI output — the principle that keeps AI-assisted content accountable.
Example
AI drafts translations of a maintenance manual; a qualified translator reviews every warning and safety instruction before release.
Explained in context
Context cards connect this term with others to answer one question. Also in British English and German.
Why it matters on your learning path
- Technical writers: You are the human in the loop for AI-assisted documentation. Define what must always be reviewed — safety information above all.
- Technical marketers: Review AI-generated claims, testimonials and comparisons before publishing.
- Technical project managers: Specify review points, reviewer qualifications and records in the process.
- Developers: Build approval steps into agent workflows and make them hard to skip.
Human in the loop vs. human oversight
Human in the loop is a general design principle. The EU AI Act sets a legal duty of human oversight for high-risk AI systems, with specific requirements.