How can I make AI check its own draft for factual errors?
Extract the claims first
Paste the draft and ask for a numbered list of every name, date, number, and claim it contains. Separating the facts from the wording makes it easier to see what needs checking. Many errors hide in details that look minor, such as a year or a job title.
Verify each item against a source
Check each listed claim with an official website, a reliable reference, or a document you trust. A confident tone from the tool does not mean the fact is right. If a claim has no clear source, rewrite it as a general statement or remove it.
Asking the tool for sources is helpful, but open each link and confirm the page supports the claim. Links that look real are sometimes wrong or unrelated. Keep a short record of which claims you verified and where each source came from, so the check is easy to repeat next time.
Making it a routine
A short checklist saved in a note works well for recurring writing tasks. Over time you will notice which kinds of claims the tool gets wrong most often, such as local rules or recent events, and you can focus your checks there.
Common mistakes
- Trusting a list of sources without opening the links to confirm they say what the draft claims.
- Making more edits after the check that add new facts nobody verified.
