Numbers, quotes and dates: the details that trip you up

When you finish, you can verify the specific details most likely to be wrong in AI output.

Why details go wrong

AI tools are good with the overall shape of an idea and weaker with exact details. A number may be off, a date shifted by a year, a quote reworded, a name misspelled, or two different people merged into one. These errors are small enough to slip past you, and large enough to embarrass you or cause harm.

Treat every exact detail as a claim, not a fact, until you have seen it in a reliable source. This matters most in anything you publish, hand in, or use to make a decision.

Numbers

When you see a number, ask: what is being counted, by whom, when, and where? A figure about one country or one year does not carry over to another. Check the original source, not a repeat of it. Be careful with percentages and comparisons, which are easy to garble.

For calculations, do not just trust the tool. Recheck with a calculator or spreadsheet, or ask the tool to show its steps and then redo them yourself. If the number matters, never use one you could not trace to an original source.

Quotes and dates

Quotes are a favorite place for invention. AI tools may attribute a nice saying to a famous person who never said it. Before using a quote, find it in a reliable source such as a published book, an official speech record or a trusted archive. If you cannot find where it was said, do not attach a name to it.

For dates, check against an official or well-established source. Be extra careful with recent events, since a tool may not know about them, and with rules and deadlines, which change. Weak: “The deadline is in March, per the AI.” Strong: “The deadline is stated on the official page, which I checked today.”

A worked example from daily work

Ravi, who writes a newsletter for a neighborhood association in Durban, asks AI to draft a short history of the local market. The draft includes a founding year, a quote from a former mayor, and a figure about weekly visitors. He lists all three as ‘unverified.’ The library’s local history page gives a different founding year, the quote cannot be found anywhere, and no source supports the visitor figure.

He keeps the corrected year, removes the quote and the figure, and writes: “Many neighbors visit each week.” The newsletter is shorter but fully true. Cutting an unverified detail is a good result, not a loss.

Practice now

Ask an AI tool for a short biography of a historical figure from your country. Check the dates, the places and one quote in reliable sources, and list what was wrong or unconfirmed.
Take a number from any AI answer and write down the four questions: what is counted, by whom, when, and where? Try to find the original source.

Use any AI assistant you have. Do not paste private, client or patient information into it.

Check yourself

1. What should you do with an exact quote an AI attributes to a famous person?

2. A figure in an AI answer cannot be traced to an original source. What is the best choice?

3. Why recheck a calculation the tool did?

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Next lesson: AI search features, and when not to rely on AI

AI-drafted. Checked by an automated validator and a separate AI reviewer; a person has not read every lesson. Translations and tutor answers are AI-made. Found a mistake? Tell us. AI can be wrong. General information only, not professional advice. Not affiliated with any AI company named. Current University is not accredited.