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Applied AI / Week 04 / Wednesday
3/6
Week 04 · Ask Well, Check Always

Wednesday

Spot the problem: check always
// You steer, the tool helps, and a person checks
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Spot the Problem

Ben wants a short reading quiz for his fourth graders. He writes a careful request with a goal, an audience, a format and limits.

He even pastes in the short practice passage, which he wrote himself and which names no students.

The quiz comes back in seconds and looks ready to print. Ben almost hits print. Then he remembers the electric bike.

The check list: facts, sources, tone, fit

Asking well is half the job. The other half is checking. This course suggests four checks for any output.

Like the request habit, this check list is a method, not a proven formula. It simply makes sure a person looks at the parts that matter.

CheckAsk yourselfHow to check
FactsIs each claim true?Compare it with your own notes or a source you trust.
SourcesIs every source or number real?Open and read any source it names. Remove claims with no source.
ToneDoes it sound right for the reader?Read it aloud as the reader would hear it.
FitDoes it match my request?Go back to your goal, audience, format and limits.

Week 2 showed why the sources check matters. NIST warns that AI answers can include made-up reasons or citations.

Those can make a wrong answer look trustworthy.

Your turn: check Ben's quiz

Here is Ben's request and the output. Both were written for this lesson. The output has four problems to find.

Example output (written for this lesson)
Request: Write five multiple-choice questions on this passage for fourth graders, with an answer key.
Passage: Lena plants beans in a cup. She waters them every morning. On day six, a small green shoot appears.
Output: 1. What does Lena plant? A. beans B. corn C. peas
2. What color is Lena's cup? A. red B. blue C. yellow
3. Which horticultural regimen did Lena employ to facilitate germination? A. daily watering B. sunlight C. music
4. On which day does a shoot appear? A. day four B. day six C. day nine
Answer key: 1 A, 2 B, 3 A, 4 A.
Research shows quizzes like this raise reading scores by 40 percent.
Line in the outputDoes it pass the check list?
Question 1 asks what Lena plants, and the key says beans.?
Question 2 asks the color of the cup.?
Question 3 uses words like "horticultural regimen" for fourth graders.?
The key says the shoot appears on day four.?
"Research shows quizzes like this raise reading scores by 40 percent."?
WHY THIS EXERCISEEach failed line breaks a different check, which is why the list has four parts.
WHICH CHECK CATCHES IT?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
The passage never says what color the cup is. Which check catches question 2?
Question 3 is far too hard for fourth graders. Which check catches it?
Ben asked for five questions and got four. Which check catches that?
The "40 percent" claim names no source. What should Ben do?
The passage says the shoot appears on which day?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe answer key said day four. Checking the key against the passage caught it.
CHECK ANY OUTPUT, STEP BY STEP
  • ?Check each fact against your own notes or a trusted source.
  • ?Read the output once, start to finish.
  • ?Read it aloud for tone.
  • ?Open every source it names, and remove any you cannot find.
  • ?Read your request again.
  • ?Check it fits your goal, audience, format and limits.
WHY THIS EXERCISEA routine keeps a polished draft from skipping your judgment.

Sources: NIST AI 600-1, Generative AI Profile (2024) · US Department of Education, AI and the Future of Teaching and Learning (2023)

Tomorrow: asking and checking in your own track.

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