Tool Use - AI Conversations Why AI Agents Keep Failing at Simple Tasks (ft Dexter Horthy)
Apr 8, 2025
Dexter Horthy, Founder and CEO of Human Layer, dives deep into the importance of human oversight in AI technologies. He explains how 'outer loop agents' can drastically enhance AI reliability in critical areas like supply chain and infrastructure management. Dexter discusses frameworks that blend automation with human input, revealing common pitfalls in AI design. The conversation highlights that the future relies not on fully autonomous systems but on intelligent collaboration between humans and machines.
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Outer Loop Agent Story
- Dexter Horthy built an AI agent that cleaned up unused SQL tables and involved human approval before dropping them.
- This highlighted the importance of human involvement in critical AI decisions to avoid risky mistakes.
Humans Enable High-Stakes AI
- Human-in-the-loop systems allow AI to perform high-stakes tasks reliably by leveraging human judgment at decision points.
- This collaboration makes AI suitable for sensitive areas like DevOps orchestration and supply chain management.
Humans Stay Vital Despite Smarter AI
- Even as AI models improve, humans will still want oversight for bigger, riskier tasks.
- The magic happens by operating at the boundary of what AI can do consistently well, augmented by human feedback.
