You're ready when you can name one repetitive task, say how you'd know the agent did it well, and say who would review its work. You're not ready if the plan is 'connect it to everything and see what happens.' Start with one narrow job, limited access and a person approving anything that sends, pays or deletes.
Three signs you’re ready:
- One clear job. “Sort incoming leads and draft a first reply” is a job. “Help with marketing” isn’t.
- A way to measure it. Hours saved a week, replies sent within an hour, fewer missed follow-ups.
- A person who reviews. Someone owns the agent: checks its work, approves the risky actions and notices when it drifts.
Three signs to wait:
- Nobody can say which data the agent actually needs.
- The vendor wants full access to your email or files “to get the best results.”
- There’s no plan for what happens when it’s wrong.
If you’re in between, the AI Agent Safety Checklist is a good way to find the gaps.
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