A measure of how often humans must step in to compensate for system shortcomings—manual reviews, ad-hoc patches, or empathy work. A rising index exposes heroism-dependent systems and motivates investment in graceful degradation.
Targets & breach behavior.Measurement window: weekly median; monthly review. Target / floor / ceiling: target ≤ 5% of cases, floor 10%, ceiling 20%. Owner:Traceable Ownership (must have). Breach action: expand graceful degradation, add staffing, or pause automation in the affected class. Public surface: receipt + time transparency that flags human review and decision artifact.
Scope
G. Measures & indicators. Metrics that track moral performance across systems.
Genealogy
Ethotechnics uses Human Substitution Index to extend the g. measures & indicators vocabulary and connect governance, design, and policy teams.
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Cite this glossary entry
Formats: APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS
Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. (2026). Human Substitution Index. Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/human-substitution-index
MLA
Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Human Substitution Index." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/human-substitution-index.
Chicago
Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Human Substitution Index." Ethotechnics glossary. Jan 9, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/human-substitution-index.
BibTeX
@misc{glossary_human-substitution-index,
title={Human Substitution Index},
author={Ethotechnics Institute Research Team},
year={2026},
howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/human-substitution-index},
version={v1.1.0}
}
RIS
TY - WEB
TI - Human Substitution Index
AU - Ethotechnics Institute Research Team
PY - 2026
UR - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/human-substitution-index
ER -