Humans Needed in the Loop of Life
Although the saying has been around for decades, I only recently encountered “human in the loop.” The phrase appears in Fast Attack Leadership, a forthcoming book I recently finished ghostwriting for business consultant Marc Koehler.
In Marc’s seminars, he often relates leadership lessons he learned on a Naval nuclear submarine to modern business challenges. His awareness of “loop” terminology comes from legendary Admiral Hyman Rickover (1900–1986).
After a 1963 disaster where 129 sailors died, Rickover created SUBSAFE. For 60-plus years, the quality and safety program has enabled certified submarines to log 51 million miles without losing a single boat.
A key element of that record: Rickover’s watchword that required a real-life breathing human to certify technological readings.
“Most of the time the technology was right, but not always,” Marc says. “The same principle is true today.
“No matter what our business, the common reaction in perplexing situations today is ‘just let AI do it.’ As anyone who has used a modern search engine or other AI tools can assure you, AI isn’t always right.”
An Intrusive Presence
Not only is AI not always right, I also find it intrusive. Many AI engines think it necessary to include summaries of emails or documents—messages neither wanted nor needed.
AI also tries to insert words or phrases into story or book drafts which (again) I can do without. And, whether you call or email a customer service number, chances are good an AI bot will answer. Chances are even better that the outcome will not be satisfying.
Aside from personal irritations, the electricity-gobbling data centers spreading across the nation like kudzu are stirring conflict and outrage from citizens. They don’t like their impact on water, electricity, and other factors.
As one whose electric bills have nearly tripled the past 20 years, I fear data centers will help drive the average person’s costs higher.
AI’s creeping threats were spotlighted in a recent Time magazine cover story. It cited a 2025 Pew poll that found five times as many Americans are concerned about the increased presence of AI in daily life as are excited about it.
“‘The public thinks AI will worsen our ability to think creatively, form meaningful relationships, and make difficult decisions,’ Pew found,” wrote Andrew Chow. “Other surveys show Americans believe AI will spread misinformation, erode our sense of purpose and meaning, and harm our social and emotional intelligence.”
Art Imitating Life
Ironically, right before Time’s story appeared, I picked up The Proving Ground, the eighth novel in Michael Connelly’s “Lincoln Lawyer” series.
When I carried it into a doctor’s appointment, a passerby in the hall asked what I was reading. I told him it was about an attorney who sues an AI giant for its chatbot leading a teenager to kill his ex-girlfriend.
“The scary thing is that it has happened in real life,” I said as he nodded in agreement.
Where this will all go is anyone’s guess. The biggest disadvantage ordinary folks face is the bewildering array of technological tools behind the AI giants overtaking our world.
One solution is to regularly turn away from technology and toward real people.
On the way home from that appointment, I tuned in to the local iHeart Media radio station. Its tagline for introducing newscasts is an interesting commentary on modern life: “Guaranteed human.”
If there is a boomerang effect I foresee from the gathering AI storm, it’s that—in the future—human contact will become more important than ever. As Marc says, we all need a “human in the loop.”
