AI gave you an answer. Now verify it.

An answer can sound confident and still be wrong, incomplete or out of date. Treat AI output as a draft or lead to investigate—not as proof. The amount of checking should match the consequences of getting it wrong.

Step 1: separate claims from explanation

Read the answer once and mark statements that can be checked: names, dates, statistics, quotations, legal requirements, product features and causal claims. Broad advice and factual claims need different kinds of review.

Step 2: ask for traceable sources

Request sources for important factual claims, then open the sources yourself. A citation is useful only if it exists, supports the specific claim and is relevant to the question. Do not assume a link or quotation is genuine just because it looks plausible.

Step 3: verify the key details

• Dates and current details: check an up-to-date primary source.
• Numbers: recalculate the arithmetic and inspect the original data.
• Quotes: locate the exact wording in the original source.
• Summaries: compare the summary with the source and look for omitted caveats.
• Instructions or code: test in a safe environment before using in a real workflow.

Step 4: look for what is missing

Ask what assumptions the answer made, what evidence would change the conclusion, and which alternative explanations were left out. For summaries, check whether uncertainty or disagreement in the source has been flattened into a confident statement.

Step 5: decide how much review is enough

For a low-risk brainstorming list, a quick plausibility check may be sufficient. For public-facing facts, verify the central claims. For high-impact decisions, do not treat AI as the authority; use appropriate primary sources and expert review.

A 60-second verification checklist

• Can I identify the important factual claims?
• Have I opened the original sources?
• Does each source support the claim made?
• Have I checked dates, numbers and quotations?
• What is missing or uncertain?
• Would an error cause meaningful harm?

If you cannot verify a key claim, remove it, qualify it clearly or keep researching. “I couldn’t confirm this” is better than repeating a plausible-sounding mistake.

This guide provides general information-literacy advice. It does not replace professional advice or a formal fact-checking process for high-stakes material.