Delegated authority
Delegation of authority to AI · Delegated autonomy
Delegated authority is a power to decide that a person or an organization entrusts to another party, in this case an AI agent, within written limits, while keeping responsibility for its use and the right to take it back at any time.
Three conditions, or it is not delegation
An organization delegates authority properly when three things are true at once. Without them, what it has done is closer to abandonment:
- The limits are written and contain figures: a scope, a ceiling per action, a daily ceiling.
- A named person answers for how the power is used.
- The organization can take the power back and can keep operating without the agent, more slowly if necessary.
Automating is not delegating
Automation and delegated authority vary along two separate axes. The degree of automation describes how a function runs, from manual to automatic. The power delegated describes who decides, from a decision that stays human through a simple recommendation and a decision submitted for approval, up to a decision the agent settles by itself within its mandate. A fully automated payment run following a validated schedule delegates very little, whereas a single discount granted by an agent on its own judgment delegates a great deal.
What the law keeps with the delegator
Delegation of authority has a precise meaning in many legal systems, where a delegate with competence, resources and authority can take over part of the liability. Software does not meet those conditions, so a mandate given to an agent does not remove the liability of those who approved its deployment, set its rights and organized its supervision. NIST's preliminary Cyber AI Profile uses the same logic when it states that "a human is assigned responsibility for the actions of an AI system".
In short, the gesture is delegated and the risk is not. See the mandate for how this is written down, and authority revocation for how it ends.
Frequently asked questions
Can responsibility be delegated to an AI agent?
No. An agent can carry out a decision but cannot answer for it. Responsibility goes back up to the people who decided to delegate, and in ACF it is concentrated on a named function, the DDAO.
What is the difference between delegated authority and delegated autonomy?
Delegated authority is the power granted. Delegated autonomy is how far the agent may use that power without a person, set per decision on 4 levels from advisory to autonomous.
Where does your organization stand?
ACF Score measures your agentic governance in about 10 minutes, the AI Act checker tells you which obligations apply, and ACF Control applies your rules before an agent acts.
Related terms
Primary sources
Written by Vincent Dorange, creator of the Agentic Commerce Framework®. Last updated .