Design an AI data boundary
HuffmanStacks LLC | Field notes | 2026-11-01

Make the document, consent, model-route, and human-review decisions explicit before connecting AI.

Classify the material
Name the data categories and the person authorized to decide where they can go. An attractive interface does not change the sensitivity of the document.

Trace the full route
Account for upload, extraction, storage, prompts, model execution, output, logs, and exports. Review each destination rather than only the main model provider.

Make policy enforceable
Put consent and routing checks on the actual execution path. A written policy that no request evaluates cannot enforce a data boundary.

Retain human review
Decide who reviews a result, what evidence they need, and how corrections remain traceable. Test the stop path when required context is missing.

IN PRACTICE
A document marked for a local-only route should stop before a hosted model call, with a clear reason and an inspectable audit event.

WORKING CHECKLIST
[ ] Classify the material: record the decision and its evidence.
[ ] Trace the full route: record the decision and its evidence.
[ ] Make policy enforceable: record the decision and its evidence.
[ ] Retain human review: record the decision and its evidence.

General engineering guidance, not a certification or service agreement.
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