---
title: "An Auto-Approval Should Never Erase Curated Work"
canonical: https://dxdev.com/blog/2026-04-23_automation-must-preserve-curation/
datePublished: 2026-04-23
---
Automation can look efficient while quietly overwriting the choices people already made with care.

## The practical check

Before automating an approval, identify what human-curated work could be changed, how a person can opt out, and how a mistaken change can be restored.

## Where AI fits

AI can surface records at risk, prepare a preview, and identify candidates for human review.

## The human decision

People approve changes to curated work and retain control over opt-out and restore decisions.

## The lesson

Automation should preserve curated work by showing what could change, offering a real opt-out, and leaving a clear path to restore a mistaken change.

Preview, opt-out, and restoration for curated records are documented in the Build Log companion.