How to Scope an AI Feature That Can Fail Safe
A fail-safe AI feature is one the user can still finish when the model is slow, empty, or wrong. The model is a module. The job is the product. At Croncode we will not ship a spinner that dies in a blank sheet. This page is the scope, not the vendor pitch. Why AI is infrastructure: AI as infrastructure. How to brief us: brief an AI studio.
Scope an AI feature around a job, a timeout, a rule-based fallback, and a cannot-cross line. If the model is the only path, the feature cannot fail safe.
What is the smallest fail-safe loop?
- User starts a job with an object they own: garment, choice, case, journey.
- The app tries the model with a written timeout.
- On timeout or empty, a rule or a human-authored default still offers a next step.
- The UI says the model failed, without blaming the user.
- Nothing private is logged beyond the brief.
Examples: YourStyle can still show the closet if a combination call fails. Numira can still hold the written choice. Spylie is not a model product. Luviport should not invent a car when logistics is down. Catalog: what Croncode builds.
Which lines must be in the brief?
| Line | Write it as | Fail if missing |
|---|---|---|
| Cannot-cross | No medical, legal, or surveillance claims | Yes |
| Evaluation | Ten good, ten bad outputs you can score | Yes for a store promise |
| Data class | On-device vs sent, retention | Yes. Deletion |
| Paywall | What is locked if the model is the paid path | Yes. Honest paywall |
Creep: personalization line. Analytics: analytics without surveillance.
When should AI stay out of version one?
When you have no evaluation set. When a wrong answer can harm a person and you have no human gate. When the only brief is a vendor name. When the MVP is already hollow: thin MVP. Process: fixed scope vs agile.
Founder: Goktug Unver. Co-founder: Yusufhan Sokur. Shipping: Istanbul shipping.
How do we demo a fail-safe?
Turn the network off. Show the fallback. Then turn it on and show a good path. Sprint demo: sprint demo. Design QA: design QA. Crash hangs are not fail-safe: crash questions.
What mistakes look like intelligence?
- Retry loops with no cap: you billed the user in patience.
- A confident paragraph when the model guessed: lower the tone or show uncertainty.
- Logging full photos “for training” by default: we will not. Will not build.
- English-only error strings in a Turkish market: onboarding localization.
Quote the fallback in the packet: what to send. Choose a studio: choose an iOS studio. Hire: hire. Custom: custom software. Contact: contact. Journal: /en/journel/.
How does fail-safe change week two?
Users return if the object is still there after a failed call. They leave if the app ate the closet or the case. Retention: week two. Support must have a sentence for “the suggestion failed”: support email. Team: Ozgur Ismet Ozkan.
Security of keys and vendors belongs in the contract: security questions. We are Croncode LLC, Albuquerque, not croncodetech.com. Identity. Write the timeout in seconds, not as “reasonable.” Write the fallback as a screen a tester can open with the radio off. If you cannot demo that in a sprint, the feature is not fail-safe yet. It is a happy-path demo.
A fail-safe also needs a person who can turn the module off in a store emergency without a weekend rewrite. Name that person in the brief. If nobody can disable the model path, you do not have infrastructure. You have a dependency.
Frequently asked questions
Does fail-safe mean on-device only?
No. It means the user is not stuck. On-device is one way to reduce timeout and privacy risk.
Can the fallback be “try again later”?
Only if the object is saved and the job can wait. If the job is “what to wear this morning,” later is a failed product.
Should I show the model name?
You can show a constraint. Do not make the vendor the brand. Models change.
What if the client wants AI on every screen?
We will cut to one job path with a fallback. Everywhere is a demo.
Where do I start the brief?
The four blocks in how to brief an AI app studio, plus the timeout and the cannot-cross line on this page.
