Skip to main content

Handoff

The act of one agent transferring control of a task to another agent. In the sequential pattern the handoff points are fixed in advance; in the supervisor pattern the handoff is decided by the coordinating agent; in the swarm pattern the handoff is negotiated dynamically among agents, triggered by a condition (such as confidence or scope) that is often not fixed in advance.

Defined in 2 GAGE programs, which carry 2 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in Agentic AI Governance: Applied Mastery.

How each discipline defines it

The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.

Engineering Judgment and Professional Formation

The transfer of control or decision authority from an automated system to a human operator, or from one operator to another. A safe handoff requires not just the transfer itself but clear, timely, and unambiguous information that lets the receiving party act correctly; a technically correct handoff with a poorly designed interface can still result in failure, as documented in the Air France 447 case.

Agentic AI Governance: Applied Mastery

The act of one agent transferring control of a task to another agent. In the sequential pattern the handoff points are fixed in advance; in the supervisor pattern the handoff is decided by the coordinating agent; in the swarm pattern the handoff is negotiated dynamically among agents, triggered by a condition (such as confidence or scope) that is often not fixed in advance.

Where it is taught

The exact lessons this term appears in. The first 7 topics of every program are free with a free account.

Terms it appears with

Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.