Delegate to AI the way you delegate to people
Adaptive delegation gives you two questions to ask about any person or AI tool you hand work to: how capable are they at this task, and how costly is it if the work goes wrong?
This seven-page guide and worksheet helps managers match oversight to capability and risk, task by task, using the instincts they already have.
How to delegate to AI without a new management playbook
Every manager decides how much to hand off based on who's doing the work and what happens if it goes wrong. AI assistants, agents, and automations are new names on the same roster. The real question isn't whether to use AI. It's how much oversight this delegatee needs right now.
Skip that question and the gaps show up fast. High-risk work lands on a brand-new AI tool because it's "just AI," or a junior team member loses oversight because they now have an assistant. Someone still owns the outcome, and if nobody had that conversation, no dashboard will close the gap.
Adaptive delegation matches how closely you supervise to two things: capability at this specific task and the cost if the work goes wrong. Plot a person or an AI tool on one grid and you land in one of four oversight modes, from step-by-step direction to hands-off spot checks. Rate the task, not the person or the tool, and re-rate as they prove reliable.
The framework at a glance
Why AI starts as the new hire
Models don't learn from the context you never wrote down. Most AI agents stay in new-hire territory until you invest in scoping, examples, and boundaries. If you wouldn't hand this work to a new direct report and walk away, don't hand it to a brand-new AI tool and walk away either.
What you'll learn
Sort any delegatee into one of four oversight modes
Know why AI tools start as the new hire
Run a 45-minute delegation session with managers
Inside the guide
Why your delegation instincts already apply to AI
Three ways managers get oversight wrong when they treat AI as special
A capability and risk grid with four oversight modes
The same workflow sorted twice: once for a direct report, once for an AI tool
Three gut-check questions and a 45-minute facilitator run-of-show
A worksheet to rate one direct report and one AI tool
Want help running the session? Your Zapier account team can facilitate, or help you build HR and People workflows with clear rules, approvals, and ownership.
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