Module 02 · 12 minutes
Automate or Augment
Choose when AI should complete a task, support a person, or stay out of the process.
Written and edited by Cahyanto Arie Wibowo. Last reviewed · version 1.2.
What does “Automate or Augment” mean in practice?
For Future of Work, think of Automate or Augment as a way to organize a decision, not as a label that settles the answer. Use Automate or Augment as a thinking tool. If the evidence, owner, or limits are unclear, pause and ask a better question. Try Automate or Augment on one small task, then write down what still needs to be checked.
After this lesson
- For Future of Work, think of Automate or Augment as a way to organize a decision, not as a label that settles the answer.
- Use the idea of “Automate or Augment” to interpret one realistic situation.
- Explain the limits of the concept and the information that still needs to be checked.
Start with the situation
Understand the situation first. The label can come later.
AI can prepare options while a person handles context, empathy, and the final decision. This lesson uses the idea of “Automate or Augment” to examine that situation without treating a single term as the answer to every problem.
For Future of Work, think of Automate or Augment as a way to organize a decision, not as a label that settles the answer. Choose when AI should complete a task, support a person, or stay out of the process. Connect the term to a decision someone genuinely needs to make.
See how the decision unfolds
Move from the situation to a choice others can review.
01
Situation
AI can prepare options while a person handles context, empathy, and the final decision. This lesson uses the idea of “Automate or Augment” to examine that situation without treating a single term as the answer to every problem.
02
Decision
AI can prepare options while a person handles context, empathy, and the final decision. Identify the part of the situation most closely connected to the idea of “Automate or Augment”. Use the case as a thinking tool, not as proof that one solution fits every context.
03
Review
Reviewing a high volume of poor AI output can add work instead of reducing it. This mistake often appears when a label is used before the problem is understood. Write down your assumptions so another person can review them.
Do not rush the choice
Two ways to look at Automate or Augment
Useful when
- For Future of Work, think of Automate or Augment as a way to organize a decision, not as a label that settles the answer.
- Use the idea of “Automate or Augment” to interpret one realistic situation.
- For Future of Work, think of Automate or Augment as a way to organize a decision, not as a label that settles the answer. Choose when AI should complete a task, support a person, or stay out of the process. Connect the term to a decision someone genuinely needs to make.
Pause and check
- Reviewing a high volume of poor AI output can add work instead of reducing it. This mistake often appears when a label is used before the problem is understood. Write down your assumptions so another person can review them.
- Explain the limits of the concept and the information that still needs to be checked.
The stronger choice is the one whose evidence, owner, and limits can be explained, not simply the more sophisticated option.
Visual model
Map the parts before choosing what to do.
Read the diagram as a map of Automate or Augment: begin with the context, follow the connections, and inspect the highlighted point before making a decision.
Pause for a moment
What evidence could change this decision?
Answer before opening the discussion. Name one fact and one assumption.
Open the discussion
For Future of Work, think of Automate or Augment as a way to organize a decision, not as a label that settles the answer. Use Automate or Augment as a thinking tool. If the evidence, owner, or limits are unclear, pause and ask a better question. Try Automate or Augment on one small task, then write down what still needs to be checked.
A tempting shortcut
A familiar term can still lead us to the wrong decision.
Why this can seem reasonable
Reviewing a high volume of poor AI output can add work instead of reducing it. This mistake often appears when a label is used before the problem is understood. Write down your assumptions so another person can review them.
How to check it
Use Automate or Augment as a thinking tool. If the evidence, owner, or limits are unclear, pause and ask a better question. Begin with what can be observed, then separate facts, assumptions, and open questions.
Try it on your work
Try it with one small piece of real work.
- Choose one real situation related to Automate or Augment.
- Separate what you can observe from what you are assuming.
- Write one decision, its owner, and the evidence needed to review it.
- Name the signal that would make you stop or change direction.
Write two examples that fit Automate or Augment and one that does not. Explain the difference in your own words. The larger module activity is: Redesign one workflow so the human and AI roles are clear. Keep the first version small enough for another person to review in a few minutes.
Quick practice
Write two examples that fit Automate or Augment and one that does not. Explain the difference in your own words. The larger module activity is: Redesign one workflow so the human and AI roles are clear.
Summary
- For Future of Work, think of Automate or Augment as a way to organize a decision, not as a label that settles the answer.
- Use examples and evidence to test your understanding.
- Record the limits, risks, and conditions that should trigger another review.
Continue from here
- Trust Calibration: Continue the idea from Human-AI Collaboration with a closely related example.
- Use-Case Portfolio: Connect this lesson to Leadership and test the idea in another context.
- Consent and Intellectual Property: See how the same decision changes when viewed through AI Ethics.
Sources and further reading
- Artificial intelligence and the world of work: International Labour Organization · official-research. Primary reference for the definition, evidence, or limits discussed in “Automate or Augment”.
- People + AI Guidebook: Google PAIR · official-guidebook. Further evidence and context for checking the explanation in “Automate or Augment”.
- Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: NIST · official-framework. Further evidence and context for checking the explanation in “Automate or Augment”.