The 4D Framework (Anthropic)
Definition
The 4D Framework is a cognitive model for human-AI collaboration developed by Anthropic in partnership with Dr. Joseph Feller and Rick Dakan as part of the AI Fluency curriculum.
The framework codifies four essential competencies for leveraging generative AI effectively and responsibly:
- Delegation — The Strategy
- Description — The Prompt
- Discernment — The Review
- Diligence — The Liability
Unlike process models (e.g., Agile or Double Diamond) that dictate workflow timing, the 4D Framework specifies how to interact with AI systems. It positions the human not merely as a “prompter,” but as an Editor-in-Chief, accountable for strategic direction and risk management.
The Four Dimensions
Delegation (The Strategy)
Before engaging with the tool, the human operator must determine what, if anything, should be assigned to the AI. This is a strategic decision between Automation (offloading repetitive tasks) and Augmentation (leveraging AI as a thought partner).
Core Question: “Is this task ‘boilerplate’ with well-defined rules (High Delegation), or does it demand nuanced judgment, deep context, or ethical considerations (Low Delegation)?”
Description (The Prompt)
AI output quality is directly proportional to input quality. “Description” transcends prompt engineering hacks by emphasizing Context Transfer—delivering explicit goals, constraints, and data structures required for the task.
Core Question: “Have I specified the constraints, interface definitions, and success criteria needed for this task?”
Discernment (The Review)
This marks the transition from Creator to Editor. The human must rigorously assess AI output for accuracy, hallucinations, bias, and overall quality. Failing to apply discernment is a leading cause of “AI Technical Debt.”
Core Question: “If I authored this output, would it meet code review standards? Does it introduce fictitious libraries or violate design tokens?”
Diligence (The Liability)
The human user retains full accountability for outcomes. Diligence acknowledges that while AI accelerates execution, it never removes user responsibility for security, copyright, or ethical compliance.
Core Question: “Am I exposing PII in the context window? Am I deploying unvetted code to production?”
Key Characteristics
The Editor-in-Chief Mental Model
The 4D Framework repositions the human from “prompt writer” to “editorial director.” Just as a newspaper editor doesn’t write every article but maintains accountability for what gets published, the AI-fluent professional maintains responsibility for all AI-generated outputs.
Continuous Cycle
These four dimensions are not sequential steps but concurrent concerns. Every AI interaction requires simultaneous attention to all four:
- What should I delegate?
- How clearly have I described it?
- How critically am I reviewing the output?
- What risks am I accepting?
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Description |
|---|---|
| Over-Delegation | Assigning strategic decisions or ethically sensitive tasks to AI |
| Vague Description | Using natural language prompts without context, constraints, or examples |
| Blind Acceptance | Copy-pasting AI output without verification |
| Liability Denial | Assuming AI-generated content is inherently trustworthy or legally defensible |
ASDLC Usage
Applied in: AGENTS.md Specification, Context Engineering, Context Gates
The 4D dimensions map to ASDLC constructs: Delegation → agent autonomy levels, Description → context engineering, Discernment → context gates, Diligence → guardrail protocols.
References
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Anthropic AI Fluency Course
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Accessed January 8, 2026.
Original source of the 4D Framework for effective generative AI use, teaching the core competencies needed for human-AI collaboration.
- (2026).
How AI is Transforming Work at Anthropic
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Accessed January 9, 2026.
Internal study of 132 engineers quantifying the 4D dimensions in practice: delegation patterns, cold start problems, the paradox of supervision, and human-owned decision categories.