Human Presence Delegation Table
For the method in What AI Can Delegate in Family Life, and What It Cannot Touch.
Not for
Shaming accessibility uses. Text-to-speech, drafting support for social anxiety or a language barrier, translation, or AI-assisted communication devices that make real connection possible are not the thing this table warns against.
Sort this week’s family tasks
| Task | Keep (human responsibility) | Delegate (logistics/drafting, still yours) | Put away discretionary AI (full attention) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Reference sort
| Keep | Delegate | Put away discretionary AI |
|---|---|---|
| Comforting someone in distress | Birthday/appointment reminders | During an actual conversation once it’s started |
| Noticing a mood shift and asking about it | First draft of a hard message you’ll rewrite | Meals |
| Repairing a conflict face to face | Summarizing a missed group chat | Bedtime |
| Being present at a bedside | Scheduling a visit | A real disagreement |
| Celebrating news in the moment | Organizing shared photos or documents | When someone is telling you something vulnerable |
The test for anything in between
- Did I skip something only I could have done to produce this result?
- Would the other person feel that skip if they knew?
- Is my AI use increasing specifically because this relationship got harder, rather than because the task got more complex?
This week’s put-away moment
- Moment I’m committing to (meal, call, bedtime, etc.):
- What “no discretionary AI” means specifically (accessibility, communication, and safety aids may remain):
- How it went:
If accessibility applies to you or someone you love
- This use removes a barrier that was preventing presence, not replacing presence that was otherwise available
- No explanation is owed for using it
A note on drafting involving other people
Keep drafts about family members light-touch — a starting point you rewrite, not a place to paste extensive personal detail about someone else’s health, finances, or private struggles. See Privacy 101 for what typically gets retained.