Unit 3.4: Check what the AI says
AI tools sometimes invent facts and sound sure. Learn what to check, how to ask, and where to confirm.
AI tools write fluent, confident English, and that is exactly the danger. When an AI doesn't know something, it often doesn't say "I don't know". It writes something that sounds right. A made-up date, a law that changed last year, a price from somewhere else, a book that doesn't exist. This is sometimes called hallucination.
You don't need to stop using AI. You need to know what to check.
AI එකට නොදන්නා දෙයක් ඇහුවම, ඒක බොහෝ වෙලාවට "මම දන්නේ නෑ" කියන්නේ නෑ. හරි වගේ පේන, ඒත් වැරදි උත්තරයක් ලියනවා. විශේෂයෙන්ම දින, ගණන්, මිල, නීති, වීසා නීති, පොත් නම් සහ links. මේ වගේ දේවල් නිල මූලාශ්‍රයකින් (official source) හෝ දන්න කෙනෙක්ගෙන් අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම තහවුරු කරගන්න.
What to check, and how much
| Usually safe | Check it | Always confirm with an official source |
|---|---|---|
| Grammar and spelling help | Dates and history | Visa and work-permit rules |
| Rewriting your own text | Numbers and calculations | Laws, fines and taxes |
| Ideas and suggestions | Names of people, books, places | Medicine and health |
| Explaining a common word | Prices and fees | Exam rules and syllabus |
| A first draft | Quotes ("X said…") | Anything about money you will pay |
වම් පැත්තේ තියෙන දේවල් වලට AI එක හොඳයි. මැද තියෙන දේවල් එක පාරක් check කරන්න. දකුණු පැත්තේ තියෙන දේවල් (වීසා, නීති, බෙහෙත්, විභාග නීති, මුදල්) කවදාවත් AI එකේ කීමට විතරක් විශ්වාස කරන්න එපා.
Questions that help you check
Ask the AI about its own answer
- How sure are you about the fee for the police clearance report?
- Which parts of your answer might be wrong or out of date?
- Where can I check this in an official source?
- Show the calculation step by step.
These questions help, but they are not proof. An AI can be "very sure" and still wrong, and it can invent a source too.
Ways to check
- Ask it differently. Ask the same question in other words, in a new chat. If the answers disagree, at least one is wrong.
- Check the numbers yourself. Use your phone's calculator for anything you will pay or charge.
- Go to the source. The official website, the office, your teacher, the embassy, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment for jobs abroad.
- Ask a person who knows. A teacher, a colleague who has done it, a professional.
Before and after
In your world
Quick check
Tap an answer. Nothing is saved.
Which must you always confirm with an official source?
The AI gives you a link. Can you be sure it's real?
Which question helps you check?
You need a letter about a tax rule. What do you do?
Your turn
Your turn
Saved on this device only.
Ask an AI a factual question that matters to you (a fee, a rule, a date). Then write the follow-up message you would send to check the answer.
Score it: 0, 1 or 2 for each.
Clarity
AI එකට කරන්න ඕන දේ පැහැදිලිද?
Completeness
අවශ්‍ය විස්තර ඔක්කොම තියෙනවද?
Structure
කොටස් හරි පිළිවෙළටද?
Internationally clear
ලංකාවෙන් පිට කෙනෙක්ටත් තේරෙනවද?
Total: 0 / 8
Side quest
Ask an AI for three books about Sri Lankan history, with authors. Then search for each one. Do they all exist?
Next: Unit 3.5: Improve step by step
Finished this one? Tick it off. It is saved on this device only.