Everyday AI · Practical AI guide

How to fact-check AI answers and verify their sources

Check important claims against original sources.

By AgentBoards · Published October 15, 2026 · Editorial guidance with an illustrative example; no product benchmark or guaranteed outcome.

Pull out the claims that would change your decision, then check each against the original source. Open the link and read the relevant section. Confirm that it covers the same product, plan, date and conditions as the answer. A real link can still support a different claim, and an inaccessible source should remain unverified.

Start with these three steps

Identify the claims that affect your decision.
Open current primary sources and read the relevant sections.
Separate verified facts, inferences, and unknowns.

Illustrative example

Make the request concrete

An AI answer says a tool is free, runs offline and deletes all uploaded files after a fixed period. Those are three separate claims that may depend on different plans and features.

Verify these three claims separately using the provider’s current pricing, deployment and data-handling documentation. For each, give the source URL, the relevant plan or feature, the date checked and a short explanation of what the source establishes. Mark unsupported or inaccessible claims unverified. Separate deletion of an uploaded file from other logs or retained copies.

What to check afterward

The pricing source covers the specific feature, and any usage limit or extra charge is represented accurately.
The offline claim covers the complete workflow, including tools and optional cloud connections.
The retention source applies to the chosen plan and data type; exceptions and remaining uncertainty are explicit.

A prompt you can adapt

Replace the [brackets] with your task and use only information appropriate for your tool.

Verify the important claims in [text]. For each, provide an original source link and supporting passage, or mark it unverified. Check dates and scope. If you cannot browse or access a source, say so. Distinguish evidence from inference.

Watch for this failure

Trusting a citation because the link looks plausible.

If the source is ambiguous, preserve the uncertainty and ask the provider a precise question. Do not combine three partly supported statements into one verified conclusion. For consequential decisions, use the appropriate qualified reviewer and the actual agreement or evidence that applies.

You’re done when: You opened the key sources and they support the exact claims.