The word “autopilot” makes some writers nervous, and I think that is healthy. Handing a blog to software is a real decision. I built three levels of it into Sastras because I did not want it to be all or nothing. This post explains how I choose between them.
Automation is a dial, not a switch
I see three ways to run a blog with an AI agent.
In the first, I pick every topic and ask for each draft myself. In the second, the agent finds topics and writes on a schedule, and every draft waits for my approval. In the third, the agent also publishes without waiting for me.
Each step hands over a little more. I can turn the dial up or down at any time.
What I am happy to hand over
Some work is repeatable and does not need my judgment every time:
- Scanning my posts for topics I have not covered.
- Writing a first draft in my voice.
- Filling in the title, the meta description and the slug.
- Suggesting internal links.
- Keeping to the schedule when I am busy.
I am glad to give these away. They are the tasks that used to make me skip a week, and skipped weeks are why most blogs stop after ten posts.
What I keep
Three things stay with me in every mode.
The limits. I decide how often the agent runs, how strict it is about topic fit and how many posts it may write in a week.
The direction. The agent learns from the posts I have published. What the site is about is still my choice.
The off switch. I can drop to a lower mode or switch the agent off with one click.
When I use each mode
I use manual mode when I have something specific to say. A launch, an opinion or a reply to a reader. Those posts start with me.
I use semi-autopilot as my default. The agent does the finding and the drafting. I read each draft and approve, edit or reject it. One decision for each post, and nothing goes out that I have not seen.
I use full autopilot only when two things are true. The site already has plenty of posts for the agent to learn from, and the subject is one where a small mistake is cheap to fix.
The honest trade
Full autopilot means nobody reads the post before it goes live. I say that plainly because it is the cost.
A draft I never saw could contain a claim I would have removed. That is the kind of error I look for in how I fact-check an AI draft. For some sites that risk is fine. For anything about health, money or law, I would not accept it. I would stay on semi-autopilot and keep reading every post.
Seeing what the agent did
Handing over work only feels safe when I can see it. So I want a record of every run. Which ideas the agent found, which ones it skipped and why, and what it wrote.
If the agent skips too many good ideas, I loosen the fit setting. If it lets weak ones through, I tighten it. The reasons are what make that adjustment possible.
What I would do first
Start on the middle setting and stay there for a month. Count how many drafts you approved without changes. If it is nearly all of them, you have earned the right to consider full autopilot. If it is not, you have learned what the agent still needs from you.