---
title: "Book Brew 189: Your AI SOP Needs a Fire Exit"
description: Ensure your AI SOP is robust and reliable by implementing thorough review processes and clear responsibilities to avoid costly errors.
image: https://thoughtsbrewing.com/hubfs/Mindful%20Musings.jpg
---

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# Book Brew 189: Your AI SOP Needs a Fire Exit

 September 21, 2026

![Picture of Danielle Price Griffin](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/31045232924d123af765cd9b1925a9ce) [Danielle Price Griffin](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/blog/author/danielle)

![](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/hubfs/Mindful%20Musings.jpg)

The AI followed the SOP perfectly.

Unfortunately, the SOP had the structural integrity of the cockpit in *Airplane!*

- The source file was outdated.
- The client name was ambiguous.
- Step 7 said, “Send the file.”
- Otto the Autopilot (now apparently alive and well as a chatbot) approved the client copy with three fake stats and the overconfidence of a rubber pilot who has never once worried about consequences.

Surely, someone reviewed it….*.right??*

Someone did not.

And don’t call me Shirley.

## Otto Is Flying the Workflow

> *“A checklist is a specialized tool. It is for those who realize that even the most expert and experienced among us are fallible.” — Atul Gawande*

 

AI can help turn a process living inside Brenda’s head into an actual SOP.

Want the shortcut here? Damien made a video: [How to Create SOPs with AI Chatbots](https://youtu.be/cnNIZv6O6V8?si=lx-8NaqJDWTzhkoI)

 

## Please Define “Check the AI’s Work”

*“Have a human review it”* sounds responsible. So does *“land the plane safely.”* Both instructions could use a few more details.

The reviewer needs to know:

- Which facts require a source?
- Which calculations need to be redone?
- Which privacy, legal, or client rules apply?
- What should stop the workflow immediately?
- Who owns the final decision?

Otherwise, the review becomes a quick scroll, a little nod, and APPROVED typed with the confidence of Ted Striker during a deeply inconvenient flashback.

> *“Leaders must own every aspect of their mission and make adjustments to ensure success.” — Jocko Willink*

## Build the Emergency Exit Before Takeoff

Every AI-assisted SOP should answer five questions:

1. **What can enter the tool?** Approved data only. A great prompt does not turn confidential information into carry-on luggage.
2. **What is the source of truth?** Name the file, system, or database.
3. **What must a person verify?** Include facts, math, tone, context, risk, and anything headed toward a client.
4. **What stops the workflow?** Missing sources, conflicting information, sensitive data, or three statistics that materialized from the same mysterious dimension as the in-flight fish dinner.
5. **Who is flying the plane?** Assign one person the final review. “Someone in Operations” is how everyone ends up staring at Ted Striker for answers.

### These skills need practice.

Our video on[the human advantages that matter more in an AI-heavy workplace](https://youtu.be/LiFadcQRb3c) covers several worth strengthening….before Otto starts making personnel decisions.

## This Is Work We Help With

We help businesses turn “we should probably have a process for that” into workflows people can actually follow.

- [Next-Level AI Workshops](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/next-level-ai-workshops) help teams use AI responsibly, improve their prompts, and practice the human judgment required around the output.
- [Fractional COO/CTO support](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/fractional-coo/cto-services) helps build the process around the tool: ownership, approvals, system boundaries, escalation points, and the occasional emergency exit.

Otto may stay in the cockpit. A qualified human still gets the final button.

## PONDER THIS

1. Where does your AI workflow currently rely on “someone” checking the result?

### Books

- The Checklist Manifesto — Atul Gawande
- Extreme Ownership — Jocko Willink

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## Build Efficient Systems

Next-Level AI Workshops show you how to turn AI into repeatable leverage.

[Help Me Build My AI System →](https://thoughtsbrewing.com/en-us/next-level-ai-workshops)

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