Glossary · 6 · Quality, risk and governance
Blast radius (AI agent)
Also known as: Blast radius, Impact radius
German: Schadensradius
The blast radius of an AI agent is the full set of systems, data, devices, physical processes and people that one wrong or manipulated action of the agent could affect before it is stopped — determined by its permissions, its connections, the speed at which it acts and what other agents or systems act on its output.
- Intermediate
- Technical project managers
- Developers
- Technical marketers
In one sentence
Blast radius: everything one wrong action of an AI agent could reach before it is stopped — systems, devices, processes, people.
Example
An agent that can push configuration to one test gateway has a small blast radius; the same agent with rights on the production device cloud can reach 40,000 heat pumps in the field.
Explained in context
This term is a station of a mini course
- When an AI agent crosses the line: detect, contain and restore operationsStation: Triage: what crossed which boundary · Device fleets and OTA updatesStart the course
Context cards connect this term with others to answer one question. Also in British English and German.
- Containing an AI agent: pause, revoke, isolate, shut downHow do you stop an AI agent that has crossed its boundary — without making things worse, and without confusing it with stopping a machine?UKDeutsch
- Permission, capability, mandate: the three parts of an AI agent’s boundaryWhich boundary does an AI agent cross when it “goes too far” — and why does it matter which one?UKDeutsch
- When an AI agent crosses the line: detect, contain and restore operationsWhat has to be in place when an AI agent does something it isn’t allowed to do — in IT systems, IoT fleets, OT and on machines — and how is it detected, stopped and released again?UKDeutsch
How it applies
- Estimate before go-live: List what the agent can reach, how many records, devices or machines per action, and how fast. The result decides how strict the approval gates and how fine the containment rungs must be.
- Cascades widen it: When other agents, scripts or controllers act on an agent's output, its blast radius includes theirs. OWASP lists cascading failures (ASI08) and recommends blast-radius isolation and circuit breakers.
- Reduce it structurally: Smaller scopes, staged rollouts, rate limits, separate environments and network segmentation shrink the radius more reliably than better prompts.
- Physical radius: In OT and on machines the radius includes product quality, energy, the environment and people at the machine — which is why agents there should advise rather than act, and why safety functions stay outside their reach.
Why it matters on your learning path
- Technical writers: The blast radius is the basis of the hazard and impact description for an agent.
- Technical marketers: A small, known radius is easier to sell than a vague promise of safety.
- Technical project managers: Make the estimated radius part of the risk register.
- Developers: Add rate limits and batch caps; they cap the radius per minute.