Beyond System Prompts: Enforcing Policy & Action Boundaries in Enterprise AI Agents

Enterprises should not rely on system prompts alone to keep autonomous AI agents safe.

The article recommends deterministic runtime controls that limit what agents can do, not just what they are told.

It outlines a four-tier risk model for agent actions, ranging from simple schema checks to human approval for irreversible operations.

Recommended safeguards include JSON Schema validation, policy-engine enforcement with OPA or CEL, and human-in-the-loop approval for high-risk actions.