ALL INSIGHTS
AI AGENTS / 6 MIN READ / EDITORIAL
The best assistants know when to say "I don't know"
Grounding, guardrails and graceful hand-offs are what separate a useful AI assistant from a liability.
An assistant that answers everything confidently is not intelligent. It is reckless. The design goal is accuracy within a clear scope.
Ground every answer
Assistants should answer from approved sources and show where an answer came from. If the source does not exist, neither should the answer.
Define the edges
Scope rules decide which topics the assistant handles and which go straight to a person. Sensitive questions deserve a human.
Measure continuously
A fixed set of test questions, reviewed before every change, turns quality from a feeling into something you can track.