Governance

Human Oversight

Definition

The ability of humans to effectively monitor, intervene in, and override an AI system's outputs. The EU AI Act mandates appropriate human oversight for all high-risk AI systems, requiring technical measures that enable operators to halt or correct the system in real time.

Related Terms

Human-in-the-Loop (HITL)

A design pattern where a human must approve or review an AI system's output before it produces a real-world effect. HITL is the strongest form of human oversight and is required for the highest-stakes automated decisions under GDPR Article 22 and the EU AI Act.

Human-on-the-Loop (HOTL)

A design pattern where an AI system acts autonomously but a human monitors operations and can intervene if needed, rather than approving each action. HOTL balances efficiency with oversight and is appropriate for many high-risk AI use cases where full HITL would be impractical.

Kill Switch

A technical mechanism that allows an AI system to be safely halted, overridden, or disabled by authorised humans at any time. The EU AI Act requires high-risk AI systems to incorporate such controls as part of their human oversight design.

Related Services

Eu Ai Act Compliance

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