Lesson 2 of 5 in For the curious retiree
Fact-check the answer
AI sometimes sounds very confident about things that aren't true. A quick check protects you from misinformation.
Do this
Ask the AI a question about something you know well. Then check if its answer matches what you know. Look for anything that sounds slightly off.
Try it now
Copy this prompt about a topic YOU know well:
>Tell me 5 facts about [topic you know well: a place you've lived, a hobby you've done for years, a historical event you studied]. I'll check if they're all accurate.
Check yourself
Did it get anything wrong? Did it mix up dates, names, or places? Did it sound confident even when it was wrong?
What just happened
AI doesn't know what it doesn't know. It generates plausible-sounding text by pattern matching, not by checking facts. When it encounters a gap, it fills it in confidently. The skill is trusting but verifying — especially for health, financial, or legal topics.