🤖 AI for Students · Lesson 3 of 6
Checking the answer
Facts, numbers and sources: how to know it is true.
Check what matters
You don’t need to check every word. Check facts you will use: names, dates, numbers, quotes, laws, health information and sources.
How to check
- Look for the same fact in 2 reliable sources (an encyclopedia, a .gov or .edu site, a known news outlet, your textbook)
- Open every link it gives — does it exist, and does it say that?
- Recalculate numbers with a calculator
- Ask the chatbot “How sure are you? What is your source?” — but still check yourself
Lateral reading
Fact-checkers don’t just read one page deeply; they open new tabs to see what other sources say about the claim and about the website. Do the same: search the claim and see if trustworthy sources agree.
Red flags
| Exact quotes | Often invented — search the quote in quotation marks |
|---|---|
| Very precise numbers with no source | Check them |
| Book or article titles | Check that they really exist |
| Health or safety advice | Ask a real professional |
Tip
💡 If you can’t find a fact anywhere except in the chatbot’s answer, don’t use it.
✏️ Practice: your turn
- Ask a chatbot 3 facts about your state, then check each one in two sources
- Ask for a quote by a famous person and search for it in quotation marks
- Ask a math word problem and check the answer with a calculator
- Write down one mistake you found
🧠 Quick quiz
Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.
0 of 4 correct
All lessons in AI for Students
- 💡 1. What a chatbot isHow it “writes”, and why it sounds sure even when it is wrong
- 🎯 2. How to ask wellWho I am, what I need, and in what form
- 🔍 3. Checking the answerFacts, numbers and sources: how to know it is true
- 📚 4. Homework and honestyWhat is OK, what is not, and how to say you got help
- 🔒 5. Privacy with chatbotsWhat not to type into a chatbot, and why
- 🖼️ 6. Fake images and videosHow to spot AI-made pictures, and what not to share