Getting useful AI help
Separate supplied facts from AI assumptions
Ask the AI to tag every important statement as supplied by you, inferred, or unknown, and to name what would verify each inference. That shows which claims rest on your material and which are the AI filling gaps.
A text to start with
Here is my material: [pasted text or notes]. Answer this question: [question]. Label each important statement as one of: stated in my material (quote the exact part), inferred by you (say from what), or unknown. For every inference and unknown, tell me what I would need to check and where. Do not present an inference as fact, and do not resolve an unknown later in the answer.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Statement basis record
Question being answered: [ ] Statement 1: [ ] Supplied source and exact wording: [ ] Inference, if any, and what it rests on: [ ] Unknown: [ ] Verification needed: [ ] Checked by and date: [ ] Statement 2: [ ] Supplied source and exact wording: [ ] Inference, if any, and what it rests on: [ ] Unknown: [ ] Verification needed: [ ] Checked by and date: [ ] Statements that affect a decision: [ ]
Where labels go wrong
Check statements labeled as supplied against the exact material you gave. A quote may be nearly right while dropping an important qualifier. Keep the distinction between a supplied statement and an independently verified fact. For each inference, ask which observations support it and what would contradict it. Check that an unresolved item does not become certain later in the answer. Verify the claims that affect your decision before using them.
Ask another agent to check the result
Read this answer next to my original material. Flag every sentence worded with confidence where my material holds only an assumption or nothing at all. For each one, say what the source document actually supports and give a more accurate label.
Close the gaps that matter
Mark which inferred and unknown items affect a decision, and verify those first by finding the source or asking the person who would know. Add confirmed facts to your material and ask for the answer again so the labels update. Keep a note of what was verified and by whom, so a later reader does not repeat the check.