delegate-to-ai

Delegate to AI

The useful frame for AI is a new hire: fast, tireless, capable of a lot — and unreliable in specific ways, so you delegate deliberately and verify the important stuff. The mistake is either delegating nothing (no leverage) or delegating things that need your judgment (lost quality, lost edge). This sorts your actual workload into what to fully hand over, what to hand over with review, and what to keep — with the reasoning, so you free your time on purpose.

What This Skill Produces

• A three-way sort of your tasks — 🟢 delegate fully (low-stakes, AI does it well) · 🟡 delegate with review (AI drafts, you approve) · 🔴 keep human (judgment, relationships, high-stakes)
• The reasoning per line — why each task landed where it did, so the map makes sense and you can adjust it
• How to brief the delegated ones — what the AI needs to do the handed-off tasks well (context, examples, the output you want)
• Where your judgment is the value — the tasks where you are the point, that delegating would hollow out
• A time-back estimate — a rough sense of what delegating frees up, so it's worth doing
• A start-here pick — the one or two tasks to delegate first to build the habit and trust

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• Your tasks — the recurring things on your plate (a brain-dump is fine)
• Your role & what you're good at — so we protect the judgment work that's your edge
• The stakes per task — what errors cost (drives review level)
• Your AI access — what tools you have, so the delegation is realistic
• What's draining you — the time-sinks you'd most love off your plate

Framework: Manage AI Like A Capable New Hire

1. List the real workload. Get the tasks out of your head — you can't delegate what you haven't named.
2. Rate each on two axes. How well AI does it × how much errors cost. High-ability/low-stakes → delegate fully. High-ability/high-stakes → delegate with review. Needs-human-judgment → keep.
3. Protect your edge. Explicitly flag the tasks where your judgment, relationships, or taste are the value — delegating those doesn't save time, it removes the point.
4. Brief the delegated tasks. For the ones you hand over, define what the AI needs — context, examples, output format — like onboarding a new hire, not tossing over a wall.
5. Set the review level. Full-delegate = spot-check. Delegate-with-review = you approve every output before it's used, especially anything external or irreversible.
6. Start small, build trust. Pick one or two to delegate first; verify the quality; expand as trust builds.

Output Format

Delegation map: [your role]

🟢 Delegate fully: [low-stakes tasks AI does well] — spot-check only.

🟡 Delegate with review: [AI drafts, you approve] — because [stakes/quality].

🔴 Keep human: [judgment / relationships / high-stakes] — this is your edge.

How to brief the delegated ones: [context · examples · output format each needs].

Time back (rough): [what this frees up].

Start here: [the 1–2 to delegate first].

Quality Checks

• [ ] Sorts real tasks into fully / with-review / keep-human
• [ ] Gives the reasoning (ability × stakes) per placement
• [ ] Protects the judgment/relationship work as human
• [ ] Explains how to brief the delegated tasks
• [ ] Sets review level to stakes; picks a small start

Anti-Patterns

• Delegating nothing — no leverage gained.
• Delegating judgment/relationship work that needs you.
• Handing off with no brief and expecting good output.
• Same review level for a tweet and a legal filing.
• Big-bang delegation instead of building trust on a few first.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "What on my plate should I hand to AI?"
• "What can AI actually take off my to-do list?"
• "Where should I use AI in my work, and where shouldn't I?"
• "Help me figure out what to delegate to AI vs keep doing myself."
• "I want AI leverage without dropping the ball — what do I hand over?"