What to check in an AI draft: a plain checklist

Start with what the draft adds

A checklist is a short list of steps you run through the same way each time. A well-designed one can reduce the tendency to avoid, omit or neglect important steps in any task¹. The same source says a checklist should include only necessary checks and be as short as reasonably practicable¹.

For an AI draft, the useful question is: what did the tool add that I didn't give it? Anything you supplied, such as your prices or opening hours, only needs a check that it was copied correctly. Anything the tool supplied needs checking against a real source.

Fact-checking is the process of verifying the factual accuracy of questioned statements, and it can be done before or after the text is published². Doing it before is cheaper. A sent email can't be taken back.

The checklist

Mark each item as you go. Skip nothing that applies.

• Names. People, businesses, products, places and job titles. Spell each one against a source you trust, such as the person's own signature or the business's own website.
• Numbers. Prices, quantities, percentages, measurements and totals. Redo any sum yourself. See names, numbers and dates.
• Dates and times. Days of the week, deadlines, opening hours and time zones. Check that the day and the date match on a calendar.
• Claims. Any sentence that says something is true, legal, safe, required or proven. Find where the claim comes from.
• Sources and quotes. Each named report, law, web page or quoted person. Confirm it exists and says what the draft says. See claims and sources.
• Promises. Refunds, delivery times, guarantees and warranties. Make sure the business would actually honour them.
• Things left out. Does the draft skip a condition, a warning or an exception that you'd normally mention?
• Tone and voice. Does it sound like your business, and is it right for this reader?
• Private details. Has anything been pasted in that shouldn't leave the business, such as a customer's personal information?

Why claims and sources come early

Fabricated citations are one of the errors the Wikipedia article on hallucination names³. They're the items that look most finished. A real-looking reference with a title, a year and a page number invites trust, so it earns a closer look than a plain sentence does.

Exceptions and limits

• Tax, legal, privacy and employment text. A draft about these can only be general information. Check it against the official source for your country, or ask your accountant or lawyer. The AI draft is never the final word.
• Health businesses. Use AI only for front-desk and admin text, such as appointment reminders. Nothing clinical should come from a draft, and staff should check every line before it goes out.
• Drafts you didn't write the prompt for. If a colleague forwards a draft, ask what the tool was given. You can't tell which parts are your colleague's facts and which are the tool's.

A checklist that grows too long stops being used. If you add an item, think about removing one.