Evidence and Verification

A way to check whether the information behind an analysis is reliable

Good analysis depends on good information. Evidence and verification means examining the facts, sources, assumptions, and reasoning that support a conclusion.

AI can help you identify claims that need checking, separate facts from assumptions, suggest sources to consult, and point out gaps or contradictions.

Reading the Evidence and Verification Analysis - 3:07

When to use it

Use evidence and verification when:

  • a decision depends on facts you are not certain about

  • AI has provided specific claims, numbers, or sources

  • the information may have changed

  • different sources disagree

  • the consequences of an error would matter

  • you want to test the reasoning behind a conclusion

Try this with AI

Review the following analysis: [paste analysis]. Identify the claims that matter most to the conclusion. For each important claim, distinguish between a known fact, an assumption, an inference, and a claim that needs verification. Identify contradictions, missing information, and claims that may be outdated. Suggest what evidence or reliable sources I should check before relying on the analysis. Do not treat your own response as verification.

Then ask a follow-up

Which three claims are most important to verify first? For each one, tell me what evidence would confirm or challenge it and what kind of source would be most reliable.

You can then ask AI to help compare the evidence you find with the original analysis.

A useful caution

AI can produce information that sounds well supported without actually establishing that it is correct.

A citation does not automatically prove a claim. A source may be outdated, misunderstood, or unrelated to the specific claim being made. AI may summarize a source incorrectly or provide a citation that does not support the statement.

Check important claims against the original source. Give greater weight to evidence that is current, relevant, and independently supported.

Remember

AI can help you find what needs to be checked. Verification means checking it against reliable evidence yourself.

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