Who is deciding where this conversation goes?
Mixed-initiative interaction
A person and a system can each propose actions or change the direction of a task. Good design makes those proposals visible and lets the person intervene.
An everyday example
You ask for a café website. The assistant proposes a subscription business. You pause to decide whether that new goal is yours.
Original illustration, not an observed participant case.
Where the idea stops
An assistant taking initiative is not proof that it understands your priorities or has permission to act.
Something to try
List the original goal, the assistant’s proposed direction, and the direction you choose. Ask for alternatives before committing.
Practise on a fictional case →Go deeper: the builder’s view
For builders: make initiative reversible. Expose the expected benefit, uncertainty, interruption cost and approval boundary.
Source and interpretation
This is a plain-language interpretation with an applied example; it is not a quotation or an endorsement from the source.
Horvitz — Principles of Mixed-Initiative User Interfaces (1999) ↗Catalog v0.1 · checked 2026-10-29