Chapter 2
Use It or Verify It?
Not every AI response needs the same level of scrutiny. Before using one, consider the task, what’s at stake, and how easily you can check the information.
Before using an AI-generated response, ask:
USE WITH REVIEW
I understand the task, can check the output, and the risk is low.
or
PAUSE & VERIFY
The information is unfamiliar, high-stakes, difficult to confirm, or could affect an important decision.
Use With Review or Pause & Verify?
AI can give you a response that sounds polished and confident, even when something is missing, outdated, or incorrect. For each situation, decide whether you would use the AI response with your normal review or pause and verify it more carefully.
Use With Review
Use this when: I understand the task, can check the output, and the risk is relatively low.
Pause & Verify
Use this when: The information is unfamiliar, high-stakes, difficult to confirm, or could affect an important decision.
Scenario 1 of 3
You ask an AI tool to rewrite an internal announcement to make it clearer and more concise. You already know the facts and can compare the new draft with the original.
Scenario 2 of 3
You ask AI for the current requirements of a regulation that will influence a business decision.
Scenario 3 of 3
AI produces a polished analysis that includes three statistics you do not recognize.
The goal isn’t to question every AI response.
It’s knowing when your normal review is enough and when the situation calls for a closer look.
Fluency isn't knowing how to get an answer from AI.
It's knowing what to do with the answer you get.
You’ve practiced deciding when an AI response needs a closer look. Now let’s focus on what to look for when you review one.
Spot the Hallucination
AI can sound confident even when some of the details are inaccurate, unsupported, or invented.
Read the response below and decide what you would question before using it.
A 2025 Stanford workplace study found that 78% of employees using generative AI save more than 10 hours per week. The report recommends allowing employees to use AI without additional review for routine business decisions because error rates are now below 2%.
What should make you pause?
Select all that apply.
The statistic
A precise number can sound credible even when it is unsupported or fabricated.
The source
A named institution does not guarantee the study actually exists.
The recommendation
AI can present an opinion as though it came directly from a source.
The error-rate claim
Specific performance claims should be traced back to reliable evidence and understood in context.
Confidence is not evidence. When an AI response includes unfamiliar facts, sources, statistics, or recommendations, pause and verify before using them.