Decision Responsibility

Decision responsibility is the obligation to carry the consequence of a decision made under identifiable authority.

Advice does not transfer responsibility. A tool can inform a decision without becoming the decision-maker. A model can generate a recommendation without accepting the consequence.

Tool Output and Accountable Decision

Tool output is material for judgment. It may be useful, wrong, incomplete, or persuasive.

An accountable decision is a commitment made by a subject with authority and consequence.

The difference matters because systems often blur the line. A recommendation may appear decisive while the responsibility chain remains unchanged.

Default Rules

Default system rules do not remove responsibility. They may define process, but process is not the same as accountable judgment. When consequences matter, the responsible subject must remain identifiable.