---
id: "action-define-decision-boundaries"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["§ Governing Decision Rights and Coordination Across Multiple Channels"]
tags: ["governance", "ai-policy"]
related: ["concept-digital-governance", "concept-algorithmic-scale-vs-human-judgment"]
action: "Document clear rules dictating when AI acts autonomously versus when human sellers must intervene."
outcome: "Synchronized customer interactions, faster decision-making, and elimination of conflicting engagements from siloed teams."
speakers: ["Prabhakant Sinha", "Arun Shastri", "Sally Lorimer", "Saby Mitra"]
sources: ["attention"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-attention"
originDay: 4
articleStem: "hbr-new-31-tailor-digital-strategy-customer"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/06/tailor-your-digital-strategy-to-reach-every-customer"
sourceTitle: "Tailor Your Digital Strategy to Reach Every Customer"
---
# Explicitly define human vs. algorithmic decision boundaries

**Do this:** Establish clear governance rules dictating when AI systems can act autonomously, when human sellers must step in, and who is responsible for setting escalation and oversight rules. This prevents organizational silos from creating conflicting customer engagements.

**Why:** The concrete rule-writing that turns [[concept-digital-governance]] into practice and manages the [[concept-algorithmic-scale-vs-human-judgment]] tension.

**Expected outcome:** Synchronized customer interactions, faster decision-making, and elimination of conflicting engagements from siloed teams.

> **Enrichment:** Mirrors human-in-the-loop AI governance — automation bounded by escalation rules and oversight thresholds — especially relevant for CRM/AI-agent deployments affecting pricing, routing, and customer prioritization.