Glossary entry

Bounded autonomy

Definition

Autonomy granted only within explicit limits. Approaching or crossing a limit must escalate the case to the people who set the system's rules or to its documented outside oversight.

The limits live in an authority grant and are enforced through its grant state. Widening them is an expansion decision, not a configuration change.

Hypothetical example

  • A claims assistant can approve payouts up to $500, but anything higher is routed to a supervisor.

Related mechanisms

Related terms

Permission surface Scope discipline Revisable delegation Asymmetric-capacity restraint

References

Cite this glossary entry · v1.17.1 · updated Oct 6, 2026 · CC BY-SA 4.0

APA

Ethotechnics Institute. (2026). Bounded autonomy. Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/bounded-autonomy

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute. "Bounded autonomy." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/bounded-autonomy.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute. "Bounded autonomy." Ethotechnics glossary. Oct 6, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/bounded-autonomy.

BibTeX

@misc{glossary_bounded-autonomy,
  title={Bounded autonomy},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/bounded-autonomy},
  version={v1.17.1}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - Bounded autonomy
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/bounded-autonomy
ER  -

Authorship

Contact: hello@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

  • Published: Dec 3, 2025
  • Last updated: Oct 6, 2026
  • Version: v1.17.1

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the term title and version, and link to the glossary permalink.

Archive: Wayback Machine history

Latest change

v1.17.1 · Oct 6, 2026 — Editorial revision. Titles are in sentence case. Pasted spec blocks are replaced with prose and worked examples, 79 operational tests are rewritten as pass conditions, 22 origin notes are rewritten or sourced, and unsourced superlatives are cut. No terms were added or removed, and permalinks are unchanged.

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