Observe
The agent can access approved information and analyze it, but it cannot change external state.
Dream Beyond frameworks
AI agent governance
Dream Beyond 5-Level Agent Authority Model
The Dream Beyond 5-Level Agent Authority Model classifies an AI agent by what it is allowed to do in the real world. It separates model intelligence from operational authority so teams can design permissions, approvals, limits, identity, auditability, and recovery controls around the consequences of agent actions.
Framework by Dream BeyondAli Kitabi
When to use it
Use the model when this question matters.
Use the model when an AI system can read business data, recommend decisions, call tools, change records, communicate externally, approve actions, spend money, deploy software, or otherwise influence systems beyond a chat response.
The model
The framework at a glance
Apply the elements in sequence where the model is a lifecycle, or review them together where the model is a set of dimensions. The purpose is to make an important software decision explicit enough to inspect and govern.
Recommend
The agent can propose actions and prepare work, while a human remains responsible for execution.
Act With Approval
The agent can prepare and execute actions after explicit human approval at defined consequential steps.
Act Within Boundaries
The agent acts autonomously inside a predefined authority envelope with enforced limits, scopes, and escalation rules.
Delegated Autonomous Authority
The agent has broad delegated authority to pursue objectives and execute multi-step actions without routine approval, inside an intentionally governed operating model.
Executive version
Questions leadership should be able to answer.
- Which business consequences can this agent create without another person intervening?
- Which actions require explicit approval because they affect customers, finances, compliance, production, or data integrity?
- Who owns the risk created by the authority delegated to the agent?
- How quickly can the organization reduce or revoke that authority?
Technical version
Controls and evidence the technical team should inspect.
- Inventory every system, tool, API, and data source available to the agent.
- Separate read, recommend, prepare, execute, approve, delete, publish, purchase, and deploy permissions.
- Enforce authorization outside the prompt using identities, scopes, policy, and application controls.
- Define thresholds, rate limits, monetary limits, data boundaries, and escalation conditions.
- Record agent identity, tool calls, approvals, outputs, resulting actions, and relevant workflow state.
- Provide a reliable way to suspend the agent, revoke credentials, reverse actions where possible, and investigate impact.
How to apply it
Turn the framework into a working decision process.
- 01
Identify the highest-impact action the agent can perform today.
- 02
Classify the current authority level based on real permissions and workflow controls.
- 03
Decide the lowest authority level that still creates useful business value.
- 04
Move enforcement into identities, authorization, limits, approvals, monitoring, and recovery controls.
- 05
Reassess the authority level whenever tools, permissions, workflows, or business responsibilities change.
Related services
Apply the framework to a real system.
Dream Beyond can use this model to structure an assessment, architecture review, workshop, or implementation plan around the system and operating consequences that matter to your business.