AI glossary · a term from The AI Stairway™
Layers of control
Layers of control, from The AI Stairway™ course, are the four places a rule about AI can live, from weakest to strongest: a prompt asks, a skill shapes, a permission is enforced by software, and checks built into the process (code, or a person’s approval) make sure. A rule that must hold every time can’t live only in a prompt.
Think of it as
A sign asks; a lock makes sure.
Why it matters at work
A prompt can be ignored, or overridden by hidden instructions, so “never email anyone outside the company” only holds if the tool can’t send. Module 8 teaches the layers alongside the lethal trifecta.
This is a term The AI Stairway™ course uses for its own method; you won’t find it in every AI glossary.