An AI answer can sound perfectly reasonable and still be wrong. Sometimes a date has changed; sometimes a number was copied incorrectly. A quick check can save you from passing the mistake on.
Start with the part that matters most. If you asked about a letter, look at the letter. If the answer refers to a report, open the report and find the passage. A link is useful, but it does not prove the page says what the AI claims.
Look at the date and the numbers
Prices, opening hours and rules can change. Check when the information was published and look at the organisation responsible for the current details. When comparing offers, read the conditions as well as the headline price.
For a calculation, ask which figures the assistant used and how it reached the result. Compare those figures with the original documents, then check the arithmetic with a calculator. Even correct maths gives the wrong answer if the starting figures are wrong.
Match the check to the decision
A draft for your own notes may only need a read-through. If the answer will affect a legal, medical or financial decision, take more time with the sources and, where appropriate, speak to a qualified professional.
Our answer checklist keeps a few of these questions close at hand.