Check whether a task is appropriate for AI before I start
A go/no-go screen that says, step by step, whether AI should do the work, assist you, or stay out, and why.
The prompt
Help me check whether a task is appropriate for AI, and how far AI should be involved, before I start.
The task: [WHAT I NEED TO DO and the main steps - e.g. "write the quarterly vendor review and recommend which contracts to renew"]
Inputs involved: [documents, data, systems - note anything confidential, personal, or regulated]
Who sees or relies on the result: [e.g. "my director", "a customer", "published externally"]
What happens if it is wrong: [CONSEQUENCES - e.g. "minor rework", "financial loss", "legal exposure"]
AI tools I am allowed to use: [APPROVED TOOLS, or "not sure"]
For each step of the task, assign one verdict:
- AI does it (I review the result)
- AI assists (I lead, AI drafts, checks, or suggests)
- Keep it human (judgment, relationships, accountability, or data that should not go into AI)
Judge each step on: how verifiable the output is, the cost of an error, data sensitivity, whether it needs context only I have, and whether it involves a decision about people, money, or commitments.
Return:
1. A table: Step | Verdict | Why | What I must check afterwards.
2. Decisions that stay mine - the calls I should make myself, even if AI prepares the options.
3. Safe to delegate - the work I can hand over with light review.
4. Stop signs - anything in the inputs that should not go into an AI tool, or that needs approval first.
5. A one-line overall verdict: go / go with conditions / do not use AI for this.
Be candid when AI is a poor fit or when the time saved is not worth the checking. Follow my organization's AI policy where it is stricter than your advice.
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
- e.g. "my director", "a customer", "published externally"
- APPROVED TOOLS, or "not sure"
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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