Telling an AI agent “do not access external systems” is an instruction. Not giving it network access is a brake. Mark Gibbs hangs a whole argument on that difference, and it’s a sharp one.
Gibbs, writing for TidBITS, takes the two comfort blankets of the AI safety debate (slow it down, keep a human in the loop) and asks whether either one actually stops anything. He’s in favour of both. He just doesn’t think either is a brake.
The detail that stuck with me: “human in the loop” covers a specialist with the evidence, the time and the authority to stop what happens next, and also a tired junior with thirty seconds and an Approve button. Same phrase, wildly different protection. His answer, nudged along by TidBITS publisher Adam Engst, is that the human who matters sits outside the loop, holding authority the AI can’t reach.
The comment thread is worth a scroll too. It’s where the sandboxing question gets pushed further.
It’s a six-minute read. Read it.
The Brakes Are Not Connected - Mark Gibbs, TidBITS, October 2026