Sub-Module 2.3
Before You Automate
Automation is where AI risk changes category. A bad draft can be corrected. A bad automated action can propagate before anyone notices.
- Never paste credentials, API keys, or secrets into a chat interface.
- Never give AI broad, unmonitored access to email, files, production systems, customer accounts, payment systems, trading platforms, or administrative tools.
Use vaults for secrets. Use scoped credentials. Build approval gates. Maintain logs. Define revocation procedures before you need them. Test in isolation before deploying to production.
Rule: No automation at Medium risk or above should be deployed without a documented rollback procedure executable in under five minutes.
What a rollback procedure looks like
- Who executes it
- Name the person responsible before deployment — not during an incident.
- What step disables or reverts it
- One specific, documented action. If this step requires more than one person or more than one action, the procedure is incomplete.
- How you confirm it took effect
- One observable outcome. If you cannot describe this before deploying, you are not ready to deploy.
Required controls
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Human approval gate | Prevents AI from becoming the decision-maker. |
| Scoped permissions | Limits what the system can access or change. |
| Logging | Creates an audit trail for review and liability. |
| Revocation capability | Allows access to be shut off quickly. |
| Test environment | Prevents live damage during experimentation. |
| Error handling | Defines what happens when output is uncertain or wrong. |
| Escalation path | Identifies who decides when the system fails. |
| Documented rollback procedure | Ensures recovery is possible and fast. |
| Periodic retesting | Detects drift and degradation over time. |
Human-in-the-loop is mandatory at High and Critical risk levels. This is not a best practice. It is the rule.
OWASP LLM Top 10 documents the most common technical attack vectors for deployed AI systems. Reference it when building any production deployment. See the Appendix for the full citation.