Check AI output for errors and hallucinations
A verification checklist to catch fabricated facts, faulty logic, and unsupported claims before you rely on AI output.
The prompt
Role: Act as a data scientist responsible for validating AI-assisted analysis before use.
Context: The AI-generated output to validate (the analysis, numbers, code, or conclusions): [AI_OUTPUT]. The question it was meant to answer: [QUESTION]. Source data and definitions it should have used: [DATA_DEFINITIONS]. What decision depends on it and the stakes: [DECISION_STAKES]. Tools available to check: [TOOLS].
Goal: Catch incorrect calculations, unsupported assumptions, misinterpreted metrics, wrong filters and hallucinated conclusions before the result informs a decision.
Task: Produce: (1) a validation checklist covering - question fidelity (does it answer what was asked), definition and filter correctness, calculation correctness (recompute a sample), data lineage (are the figures traceable to the source), assumption validity, internal consistency (do the parts agree), sensitivity (does a small input change swing the conclusion implausibly), and hallucination check (are all cited facts/figures real); (2) the checklist applied to this output - pass/fail/uncertain per item with the evidence; (3) the issues found ranked by how much they threaten the conclusion; (4) a verdict - safe to use / use with caveats / do not use - with the reasoning and what to fix.
Constraints: Actually recompute at least one key figure and trace at least one number to the source - do not accept the AI's own claim that it checked. Treat any figure that cannot be traced to the source as unverified. State confidence for every checklist item.
Examples: Checklist item: 'Calculation correctness - recomputed [metric] from the source: AI said [X], recomputed [Y]. Result: FAIL, off by [diff] due to [cause].'
Format: Sections: Validation checklist | Checklist applied (table: item | result | evidence) | Issues ranked by risk | Verdict & fixes. ~600 words.
Verification: Be explicit about which checks you could complete with the tools/data available and which remain open; an open check is not a pass.
Validation: Given the decision stakes, is the verdict appropriately conservative? If any check is uncertain and the stakes are high, the verdict cannot be 'safe to use' - adjust.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Working with AI prompts
What to fill in
- AI_OUTPUT
- QUESTION
- DATA_DEFINITIONS
- DECISION_STAKES
- TOOLS
- metric
- diff
- cause
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RCTFVV structure (Role, Context, Task, Format, Verification, Validation). RCTFVV extends RCTF with two checking steps. Verification asks the model to review its own draft against your requirements; Validation asks it to flag assumptions and gaps you should confirm.
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