Who this is for. Everyone. See the Roles and Access.
Autonomy is set for each function an Agent Co-worker runs. The AP Helpdesk function runs under one of two models, chosen on the AP Helpdesk tab of Define capabilities.
Governed Autonomy and Collaborative Mode
An AP Helpdesk agent runs under one of two autonomy models. The model is fixed for that agent: the two are alternatives, not settings that combine.
Governed Autonomy lets the agent complete work unattended, within bounds you set. You write response guidance rather than fixed text, and the agent composes each reply from it. How much it may complete is decided case by case, by a mandatory write checklist.
Collaborative Mode requires a person to review and approve before the agent executes. Replies come from stored templates chosen by intent, so the exact wording is fixed and predictable.
Governed Autonomy is the current model and the one new agents use. Collaborative Mode is being deprecated, and the choice appears only for organizations already running it.
This article compares the two, then explains what bounds a Governed Autonomy agent and why two similar invoices can be treated differently.
Figure 1. Models side by side, with Collaborative Mode marked legacy
Differences between the models
The two models differ in how a reply is produced and in what you configure to change it. The row you care about is usually the last one.
Table 1. Models
Aspect |
Governed Autonomy |
Collaborative Mode |
|---|---|---|
How a reply is produced |
The agent composes each reply from guidance you write. |
The agent fills a stored template chosen by intent. |
What you configure |
What the reply should do: what to lead with, how to handle each item raised. |
The template text, its variables, and its attachments. |
Where wording is set |
Response guidance for the category. |
The Email Template panel of the Agent Replies group. |
Capability sections |
A smaller set. |
A larger set, including per-intent templates and orchestration. |
Practical consequences
Table 2. Practical consequences
If you want to |
Under Governed Autonomy |
Under Collaborative Mode |
|---|---|---|
Change how a reply reads |
Edit the response guidance for the category. |
Edit the template for that intent, and repeat for every other intent that shares the wording. |
Add a new kind of request |
Add the category and the guidance. |
Add the intent, then build its templates. |
Predict the exact wording |
You cannot. The agent composes each reply from the guidance; where the autonomy level and rules allow, it sends without a person. |
You can. The template is fixed text with variables. |
Handle an unusual message |
The guidance still applies; the agent adapts. |
No template matches, so nothing is drafted. |
That last row is the substantive difference. Collaborative Mode produces predictable wording from a fixed set of templates; Governed Autonomy composes each reply, and you bound it with guidance, the autonomy level and rules rather than by pre-approving each one.
Model choice
Governed Autonomy is the current model and the one new agents should use. Collaborative Mode exists for organizations already running it. The two models expose different capability sections on the Define capabilities step. This choice applies to the AP Helpdesk function only; it has no bearing on how the agent handles invoices.