How do I approve AI agent work from my phone?

1. Ask for a summary, not a transcript

Tell each agent to end its work with three things: what it did, what it needs from you and what happens if you say yes.

A five-line summary is easy to read on a small screen. A long chat is not.

Add a link to the full work for when you want details. Most of the time, the summary is enough to decide.

2. Pick one place for approvals

Use one channel you already watch, like email, a chat app or a task app with notifications. Scattered requests get missed.

Turn on notifications for that channel only, so approvals stand out.

3. Sort decisions by risk

Low risk: wording changes, drafts, small fixes you can undo. Approve these from your phone.

High risk: payments, deleting data, emails to many people, changes to live systems. Review these properly before you say yes.

Write these rules down once and give them to every agent, so each request arrives already marked as low or high risk.

4. Make changes easy to undo

Keep backups and version history on. Ask agents to make changes in a draft or test copy first.

When undo is easy, quick approvals are safe.

If a change cannot be undone, treat it as high risk, even if it looks small. Sending an email to customers is a good example.

5. Write down what you decided

Reply with a clear yes, no or change. Keep the decision with the job so your agents and your people can see it later.

Questions

Is it safe to approve AI work from a phone?

For small changes you can undo, usually yes. For anything involving money, customer data or many people at once, review at your desk.

What should an approval request include?

What was done, what you are being asked to approve, and what happens next if you say yes.

How do I avoid approval overload?

Let agents batch small items into one daily summary, and set rules for what they can do without asking.