Confidence Ladder
AI CONFIDENCEENABLE
Lauren Kelly
Purpose Stage-gate AI use so teams rack up safe, fast wins before high-stakes rollout.
Intervention type Behavioural scaffolding & risk-managed adoption
Lead AI programme or team leader
Time 45 min solo, 90 min group
Expected outcomes
User sees a clear, low-risk path to try AI
Team logs measurable wins on a public ladder
Business gets data on speed/quality deltas
Org aligns risk appetite with real safeguards
What to bring to the session
Confidence-Ladder Board (build via the steps below)
Ladder Cheatsheet (below)
Steps
1 | Set up
Step 1: Build the Board
Show the Confidence Ladder (Shadow, Co-pilot, Autopilot) with a blank KPI box visible to all participants.
Step 2: Shortlist Anchor Tasks
Ask participants to identify workflows that:
Take ≤ 30 minutes
Recur often
Are safe to experiment with
Think about:
“Would failure here cause real damage?” (Yes → find a new option)
“Do we already have workarounds?” (Yes → good friction point)
2 | Task Selection
Step 3: Vote on One Anchor Task
Use dot voting to agree on one priority task.
Step 4: Capture the Baseline
Log baseline data using available metrics or team estimates.
Think across:
Time
Effort
Quality
Happiness
3 | Build the Ladder
Step 5: Fill in the Shadow Rung
Define how AI will support without taking over:
AI role
Human role
Guard-rails required (e.g. sandbox only, human approval required)
Tip: Not sure on what this rung looks like? Read the cheat sheet below.
Step 6: Define Co-pilot and Autopilot Rungs
Repeat for each level.
Step 7: Set Risk Gates
Complete the Risk-Gate for each rung:
Where can this run (pilot, live)?
What would trigger rollback?
Tip: Struggling? Use the Risk-Gate Sheet below to help.
4 | Lock the Loop
Step 8: Schedule the 3Fs Stand-up
Set a recurring 15-minute check-in using the 3Fs:
Facts: Did AI save time or match quality?
Feelings: Confidence rating (1–5)?
Fixes: One improvement for tomorrow
5 | Launch & Progress
Step 9: Assign Owners
Nominate:
Ladder Owner → runs stand-ups
Scorekeeper → logs metrics
Step 10: Launch the Shadow Rung
Post the ladder in Slack and start Shadow Mode today.
Step 11: Advance Based on Readiness
Only move up if:
AI maintains or improves quality
Confidence ≥ 80%
No rollback triggers for 2+ days
Resources
Risk-Gate Sheet
How to use
Tick the highest threshold you’ll allow at this stage.
Tick / fill triggers that matter for this workflow.
Post the completed sheet next to your Confidence Ladder so everyone knows the fail-safes.
Ladder cheatsheet
Level 1: Shadow
AI suggests. Humans decide.
This is the safest place to start. AI can generate ideas, drafts, or suggestions... but nothing goes live.
What this looks like:
AI gives you headline options, summary suggestions, or draft text.
You decide what (if anything) to use.
You’re still doing the real task, AI is just a silent helper.
Examples:
Suggested email subject lines
Headline ideas for a report
Summary of a Slack thread
Level 2: Co-pilot
AI drafts. Humans edit.
Here, AI takes the first pass, but humans still check and approve everything before it goes out.
What this looks like:
AI writes the first version
You review, improve, and approve the final result
The task gets done faster, but you’re still in control
Examples:
First draft of a weekly update email
Slide deck based on meeting notes
AI writes a KPI report, you check the data and add commentary
Level 3: Autopilot
AI does most of the work. Humans spot-check.
Now AI runs the task by default, and humans step in only when needed. This is only for trusted, proven workflows.
What this looks like:
AI generates the final version automatically
You check 1 in every 5 outputs
You trust the process, but you’re still watching for red flags
Examples:
AI sends daily news summaries
AI fills in CRM records after calls
AI generates standard usage reports every month
Other methods within the enable block
Human-AI Performance
By Lauren Kelly
Contact: lauren@alterkind.com
© 2025 Alterkind Ltd. All rights reserved.
Human-AI Performance™ is a proprietary methodology developed by Alterkind Ltd using our Behaviour Thinking® framework. All content, tools, systems, and resources presented on this site are the exclusive intellectual property of Alterkind Ltd.
You’re welcome to use, share, and adapt these materials for personal learning and non-commercial team use.
For any commercial use, redistribution, or integration into client work, services, or paid products, please contact lauren@alterkind.com to discuss licensing term
Icons by Creative Mahira, The Noun Project.
Thanks to Nicholas Edell, Valentina Tan and multiple VPs implementing AI for your feedback during development.
LICENSE
Human AI Performance by Alterkind is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on work at alterkind.com
For commercial licensing contact: lauren@alterkind.com