Editing The Fact-Check Habit (section)

== 🔧 Jump in (Tinkerers start here) ==

Pick a topic you know well — your industry, your hobby, your area of expertise. Something where you can spot errors.

'''Step 1 — Get a confident answer.''' Send this prompt:

<blockquote>
Give me a detailed overview of '''[topic you know well]'''. Include specific facts, statistics, and examples. Be thorough and authoritative.
</blockquote>

Read the output carefully. '''Find at least one claim that feels off.''' It might be a statistic that seems too round, a date that feels wrong, a name that's slightly off, or a causal claim that oversimplifies reality.

'''Step 2 — Make the AI check itself.''' Send this:

<blockquote>
Look at your previous response. I want you to fact-check yourself. For each specific claim, statistic, or example you cited:
1. Rate your confidence (high / medium / low)
2. Flag anything you might have fabricated or estimated
3. Identify which claims are most likely to be wrong and why

Be ruthlessly honest. I'd rather know what you're uncertain about than have you defend everything.
</blockquote>

'''Step 3 — Verify.''' Pick the 2-3 claims the AI flagged as lowest confidence. Google them. Were they accurate, close but wrong, or completely fabricated?

'''Step 4 — Build your check.''' Based on what you just learned, write a 3-line "verification prompt" you can append to any AI output:

<blockquote>
Before I use this, tell me:
1. Which specific claims are you least confident about?
2. What did you estimate or approximate vs. know with certainty?
3. What should I verify independently before sharing this?
</blockquote>

Save this somewhere you'll see it. Use it as a default follow-up to any AI output you plan to rely on.

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