Human Agency Scale (HAS)

A five-level scale quantifying the degree of human involvement required for AI-assisted task completion:

• H1: AI agent handles the task entirely on its own
• H2: AI agent needs minimal human input for optimal performance
• H3: AI agent and human form equal partnership, outperforming either alone
• H4: AI agent requires human input to successfully complete the task
• H5: AI agent cannot function without continuous human involvement

Unlike SAE driving automation levels (which adopt an “AI-first” perspective), HAS provides a human-centered lens. Higher levels aren’t inherently better, different levels suit different contexts. H1-H2 tasks favor automation approaches; H3-H5 tasks benefit from augmentation strategies.

Related: 07-atom—automation-vs-augmentation, 07-molecule—desire-capability-landscape, 07-atom—worker-centered-ai-development-question