Escalation Design

Escalation is what happens when the AI reaches the boundary of what it should handle alone. Designing escalation well means the user gets help instead of a dead end — and the AI knows its limits.

Escalation Triggers

The AI should escalate when:

• Confidence is low: The AI isn't sure its output is correct or helpful
• Stakes are high: The decision has significant consequences (financial, medical, legal, safety)
• Emotional distress: The user shows signs of crisis, distress, or vulnerability
• Ambiguity is unresolvable: The AI can't determine intent even after clarification
• Scope boundary: The request is outside what the AI is designed to handle
• Policy boundary: The request approaches or crosses a guardrail
• Conflict: The user disagrees with the AI and the disagreement can't be resolved

Escalation Types

• To human support: Transfer to a human agent with full context
• To the user themselves: "This decision is yours to make" — handing back agency
• To a specialist: Routing to domain-specific help (medical, legal, technical)
• To a supervisor/admin: Flagging for organisational review
• Self-escalation: The AI flags its own output for review before delivering it

Designing the Escalation Experience

The user's experience of escalation matters:

• Context transfer: When escalating to a human, pass the full conversation. Don't make the user repeat themselves.