Your AI Assistant Might Be a Person
CNBC reported on 31 October 2026 that humans still do the work behind some AI agents. Google's own Gemini page says people can read a subset of chats too. What a stranger may see, and where to switch it off.
Ask an AI agent to book a plumber and you might picture software making the call. CNBC reported on 31 October 2026 that, for some agents, a person does: models "still can't reliably take actions across the web, particularly those involving phone calls", so some companies hand those jobs to human contractors.
Who uses people
- Dazzle, the personal agent run by former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, sends some tasks to human contractors and checks the model's suggestions before delivering them.
- Duckbill launched an API so other companies building personal agents can hand tasks to human contract workers.
- Wajo uses human workers for phone calls and CAPTCHA tests.
- Meta ran an internal test with human contractors making calls for its Muse agent. It now says it doesn't use humans to complete users' Muse requests.
We're not even trying to hide it, we think the human in the loop is a benefit.
— Marissa Mayer, Dazzle, to CNBC, 31 October 2026
It isn't only agents
Google's Gemini Apps Privacy Hub says a subset of chats are reviewed by human reviewers, including Google's trained service providers, to improve its services and to keep Gemini safe. Reviewed chats are retained for up to three years. If you delete your activity, chats already reviewed by service providers aren't deleted, because they aren't connected to your account.
If that setting is on, don't enter data that's confidential or that you wouldn't want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve its services.
— Google, Gemini Apps Privacy Hub (updated 26 October 2026)
What to do
- In Gemini, turn off Keep Activity to stop future chats being reviewed to improve Google's services, or use a temporary chat. Either way, Google keeps chats with your account for 72 hours to answer you and for safety.
- Before giving any agent app your address, schedule or card, search its privacy policy for "human", "reviewer" and "contractor".
- The exception: a person in the loop can get a booking done when the AI can't. The cost is that a stranger sees what you typed.
This is the long version of What Just Happened #03, a reel for @buildjayy on Instagram. If you're building an app with an agent in it, say who sees users' requests, the way Dazzle does. Send me the word BUILD there, or start with the brief form on the front page.
Sources: CNBC, Humans are still doing the work behind some AI agents (31 October 2026); Google, Gemini Apps Privacy Hub (updated 26 October 2026). The scenes of Priya and the man at his desk in the reel are AI video (Gemini).
- 3 Nov 2026
- Published, with the reel.
Product builder from Surat. Ships his own apps, runs live broadcasts, and takes on a few founders a year for product, brand and growth. hey@jaybutani.com