🔥 HOT 2026 PREDICTION
The development of smart, efficient, and well-designed Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) steps in AI workflows will become a key part of AI integration, and Business Analysts will be at the forefront.
As we start integrating AI more and more into every aspect of our personal and professional lives, the risks are starting to get clearer.
↳ Removing human judgment from the thinking process means potentially taking improper risks and moving forward with inappropriate solutions.
Most experts seem to agree that integrating HITL validation steps is the safe and prudent approach, but how much thought has really gone into designing those processes.
On one end, many developers report that when coding with AI, even though they have the chance to review what the AI proposes, it is not uncommon to blanket-accept changes after only a quick, superficial review.
On the other end, we can also imagine processes that become so complex that they cancel out most of the advantages of AI, leading to disappointing results.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see an entire new field quickly develop around implementing HITL validations that:
🔹Allow users to quickly review the main risks and decision points
🔹Allow for drill-down or iterative querying of the AI to better understand what changes were made
🔹Ensure users have properly understood what they are approving through questions or checkpoint steps
🔹Allow for close monitoring of deployments and ensure that proper rollback strategies are in place
Who do I foresee leading these initiatives?
A mix of Risk Management professionals, Business Analysts, and Developers
🔹Risk Management professionals: Identify key risks and mitigation measures; define risk metrics and control mechanisms
🔹Business Analysts: Uncover, design, and optimize AI workflows, including HITL validation steps, balancing requirements, feasibility, and efficiency.
🔹Developers: Implement validations in AI-driven workflows
That said, I firmly believe this also has the potential to create entirely new roles, given how pervasive AI is becoming.
Taking this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year! 🎉