Human in the loop is supposed to mean something. Instead, it’s become a comfort phrase. A checkbox instead of a choice about who does what. Humans bring knowledge, judgment, and context. AI brings scale, pattern recognition, and capacity beyond any individual. The real work is building products where both do what they’re good at. When you get that right, both do more than either could alone. This talk is practical and honest about where systems fail. The way we build products has changed. Recognising that means understanding where we as humans need to collaborate.