Getting useful AI help
Ask an AI assistant to identify missing information first
Before asking for the finished answer, ask what the assistant would need to know to give a reliable one. Tell it to separate required unknowns from optional ones and to draft nothing yet. Then supply the facts and request the real output.
A text to start with
I want help with [task]. Here is what I know: [facts]. Before you answer, list what you would need to know to do this well. Mark each item as required or optional, and say how the answer would change without it. Ask only questions my facts do not already answer. Do not draft the result yet.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Missing-information worksheet
Task I want done: [ ] Facts I already know: Fact 1: [ ] Fact 2: [ ] Fact 3: [ ] Required unknowns (the answer changes without these): Unknown: [ ] How the answer would change: [ ] Unknown: [ ] How the answer would change: [ ] Optional unknowns: Unknown: [ ] Questions the assistant should ask me: [ ] Questions already answered above, to skip: [ ] My replies: Question: [ ] My answer or "unknown": [ ]
Questions that waste your time
A good question list is short. Watch for questions the brief already answers, which show the brief was not read closely. Watch for questions that sound thorough but would not change the answer, such as a preference with no effect on the result. Also check for the reverse: a required fact that never gets asked, like a deadline, a budget or the intended reader. If the list is long, ask which three items would change the answer most and answer those first.
Ask another agent to check the result
Review the assistant's question list against my brief. Flag each question that is unnecessary or already answered by the facts I gave, and quote where it was answered. Then name any required unknown the list failed to ask about and explain how it would change the answer.
Answer the gaps, then request the result
Reply to each required question, even if the reply is "unknown." A stated unknown helps because the assistant can mark the affected part as uncertain. Skip optional items unless they matter to you. Then ask for the answer and tell the assistant to point out every place it relied on an assumption.