Insert AI as a transformation step between workflow stages…
Insert AI sub-workflows between composed workflow stages by providing the previous stage's output plus a specific transformation instruction, treating AI as a transformation step not a decision maker.
When This Fires
- When designing workflows that include AI-assisted steps
- When deciding where in a workflow to introduce AI tools
- When AI steps are producing unpredictable or uncontrollable outputs (likely treating AI as a decision-maker)
- Complements Sovereignty check before automation — if the automation… (sovereignty check) and Preserve intermediate outputs as concrete artifacts… (boundary artifacts) with AI-specific integration guidance
Common Failure Mode
Delegating decisions to AI: "AI, review this draft and decide if it's ready to send." The AI will always produce an answer, but the answer requires judgment the AI doesn't have — your relationship context, your quality standards, your strategic intent. The draft gets sent based on the AI's assessment, and the AI missed something only you would catch.
The Protocol
(1) Identify which workflow steps are transformations (format conversion, summarization, extraction, drafting) vs. decisions (quality assessment, approval, strategic choices). (2) AI is eligible for transformation steps only. (3) For each AI step, structure the prompt as: "[Previous stage output] + [Specific transformation instruction] + [Output format specification]." (4) The AI's output becomes an intermediate artifact (Preserve intermediate outputs as concrete artifacts…) that you review before it enters the next stage. (5) Never chain AI steps without human review between them — each AI output must be verified before becoming the next AI step's input, to prevent error compounding.