Executives increasingly rely on AI outputs—but models report signals, not responsibility. The core insight: treat AI confidence as an operational dial, not a verdict. This episode introduces the “AI Confidence Clamp”: a short protocol that maps decision classes to calibrated model signals, provenance checks, and simple override rules so AI helps you act faster without transferring hidden risk. Supporting points: (1) a compact decision-class schema (reversible, strategic, reputational) tied to explicit error budgets; (2) lightweight instrumentation—confidence bands, source provenance, and a quick hallucination checklist—that makes model output interpretable; (3) operational clamps—Accept, Draft, or Escalate rules—that convert those signals into immediate next steps. You’ll get a short test harness you can run in 20–30 minutes on one recurring decision stream so the AI you use starts amplifying judgment instead of eroding it. Action: run the first calibration pass this week, set one clamp, and subscribe for more briefings that keep your judgment—and your leverage—agentic. Signature cue: “Stay agentic.”