Job aid: Verify before you send

One page. Five checks. Use for any text you did not fully write yourself.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-25

Before you send, say each line and mean it:

1. The claim

Is every statement true — or only plausible? Anything you cannot confirm from a system or a document is a maybe. A promise (“within 48 hours”), a policy, a price, a status — check it or cut it.

2. The numbers

Check every figure in the source. AI does not calculate; it predicts number-shaped text. Totals, percentages, dates, amounts — every one, against the original. One wrong number in a confident table is invisible.

3. The source

Does the cited source exist, and does it say this? Open the link. Find the paragraph. No source you would show your manager = no source. Invented organizations and reports look completely normal.

4. The data

Did I paste anything that must not leave the company? Names, addresses, order numbers linked to a person, card details, complaint texts, CVs — prohibited. Internal figures — approved tools only. Already pasted something prohibited? Stop, report today. Never hide it.

5. Who is affected

Does acting on this change something for a person? Their money, job, health, safety, rights, reputation → a human decides. AI may inform. Name the person who owns the decision. Unclear or pressured → escalate (lead / DPO).

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If any check fails: fix it, or stop and escalate. Sending is not the goal; standing behind it is.

Remember the pattern from the modules:

Situation	Your move
Draft reads fluently	That feeling is not evidence — run the five checks
Number appears in a summary	Verify it in the source before repeating it
Cited source you’ve never heard of	Open it, or delete the claim
Customer data in your prompt	Remove it; redraft with a description, not an identity
Decision about a person	Human decides; AI informs

This job aid is part of the AI Literacy Program (content CC BY 4.0). It reflects the fictional Northwind Logistics policy used for teaching — adapt it to your organization’s real data rules and escalation contacts.

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