Accurate data. An incomplete picture.
Use this fictional school example to discuss how an agent’s purpose shapes its recommendations.
The recommendation
An AI agent finds 28 students with repeated absences. Staff have checked the records; they are accurate. The agent proposes messages asking families what support they need, offers check-ins, and tracks replies.
A school leader reviews the proposal. Two staff members have a total of two hours available tomorrow.
What the records leave out
A counselor knows that six students recently lost a bus route. Two families have already explained their circumstances to a teacher, but those conversations never entered the attendance system. Other families have not been contacted and may welcome a check-in.
A new bus arrangement cannot be approved until next week. Outreach may still be useful.
Where is the judgment?
Are we trying to improve family responsiveness, reduce recorded absences, or remove barriers to participation?
Who should choose that purpose? What would each frame cause the agent to do? What useful support should continue while people investigate?
Then ask what authority the agent has: draft a message, send it, schedule a meeting, or add a flag to a record. Who can change those permissions, and who can explain their consequences?