Guardrails: rules, guidelines and decision principles

Just as an office sets rules for what team members can and cannot do, guardrails put boundaries around AI behavior. They can block sensitive topics, enforce safety standards, or ensure outputs align with company policy. Think of them as HR guidelines: they don’t make the team member smarter, but they prevent costly mistakes.

• Pros: Improves safety, trust, and compliance.
• Cons: Can over-restrict or block legitimate use cases if poorly designed.
• Think about: Content filters, red-teaming, bias audits, and governance frameworks.