Intermediate level · Module 6: Intermediate AI Project · Lesson 1 of 3
Scoping the Assistant
Define who the assistant serves, what it covers, what it must not do and how it escalates.
In this lesson you will
- Define scope, users and refusal rules
- Design safeguards and escalation
Key concepts
scopeout-of-scope requestsescalation pathsafeguards
The lesson
Define the users and the questions the assistant should answer, and list what is out of scope — for example personal case decisions, medical diagnoses or anything not covered by the documents.
Design safeguards: answer only from documents, cite sources, decline politely and give a human contact for everything else, and never ask users for personal information.
Write these rules down; they drive the prompt, the evaluation set and the final report.
Step by step
- Describe the users and their top questions.
- List in-scope and out-of-scope topics.
- Define refusal and escalation rules.
- Get the scope approved.
Practice activity
Submit the assistant's scope and safeguard document.
Expected result: An approved scope with clear refusal and escalation rules.
Check your understanding
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Why define out-of-scope requests in advance?
Show answer
So the assistant can be designed and tested to decline them.
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What should the assistant offer when it cannot answer?
Show answer
A human contact.
Taught live by an instructor — online or in person. Free course lessons are for self-study and do not lead to a certificate — see registration options.