Reference
Access, Capability, Authority and Autonomy Are Not the Same Thing
Four concepts that should not be collapsed when organisations govern AI.
Access
Access describes what information, systems or resources an actor may reach.
Capability
Capability describes what the actor can technically perform.
Authority
Authority describes what the actor may decide, commit or change on behalf of the business.
Autonomy
Autonomy describes how independently the actor may operate within the authority it already has.
Why the distinction matters
Giving a system more autonomy should not silently increase its authority. A capable agent with access to a pricing system may still need a person to approve a concession outside policy.
A buyer question
When evaluating enterprise AI, ask not only what the system can do, but what it is allowed to decide, how the boundary is represented, and what happens when that boundary is reached.
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