- 0:00–0:06
Supplier A • Known steps stay fixed • Invoice matching • Code decides the path
The “Supplier A” badge stays fixed in its lane. Four blank steps appear one after another along a straight path, joined by straight arrows; a marker then runs the whole fixed route from the first step to the last. “Invoice matching” names the task, and “Code decides the path” appears under the route.
- 0:06–0:12
Supplier A • Some paths depend on findings • Emails, ERP records, bank replies • Next step unknown • Payment failures • Bounded agent
The lower row of the article’s workflow-or-agent figure enters: “Payment failures”, a branching path of blank steps inside a thin boundary, and “Bounded agent”. A cyan trace follows the chosen route one step at a time and outlines each step it reaches; it stops at the last step, still inside the boundary. A dashed bracket joins that step’s two open options and “Next step unknown” appears beside them. “Emails, ERP records, bank replies” names where the findings come from.
- 0:12–0:18
Supplier A • Set limits before the loop • Steps, time, spend • Hand over when unsure
A marker circles a loop of three blank steps. A royal-blue boundary then closes around the loop with “Steps, time, spend” on its top edge. The marker leaves through the one gap along a hand-over route that stops before a faceless person outline, and “Hand over when unsure” appears beside the person.
- 0:18–0:24
Supplier A • Actions wait for approval • Permissions outside the model • Preview before approving • Action • Approval with preview
An agent step and the “Action” lane from the article’s figure of tools sorted by effect appear, with a closed gate labelled “Approval with preview”. A highlight runs along the Action lane from the agent and stops at the arrowhead before the gate; nothing crosses it, and a dashed outline marks the gate as waiting. “Permissions outside the model” sits under the title and “Preview before approving” near the gate.
- 0:24–0:30
Supplier A • End with a findings report • Owner review pending • No money moves
A blank report sheet with no text and no mark slides towards an owner panel and stops before it. The panel’s dashed edge keeps moving slowly: the review is pending. “Owner review pending” sits in the panel, and the scene also states “No money moves”.
An illustrative supplier-payments investigation shows when a fixed workflow is enough, where an agent loop fits, and how limits and approval gates bound it; no finding is shown.
Read the article: AI Agents for Business: A CTO Playbook for Bounded Autonomy