M03-U01 · 8-10 minutes

Name the Task Before Choosing the Tool

Work through the explanation, apply it to the example, and complete the quick check before continuing.

A task is more than its topic

Two tasks can use the same document but require different work.

Suppose you have a ten-page report.

Summarise the report is transformation: the source already exists, and the output changes its form.
Find every date in the report is extraction: the output selects stated details.
Does the report meet our five formatting rules? is classification: each rule is checked.
What should the organisation do next? is analysis or decision support: the answer needs judgement and may need more evidence.

The topic is the same. The task pattern is different.

Eight useful task patterns

Pattern	What the task asks for	Example
Generation	Create new content	Draft three headline options
Transformation	Change existing content	Rewrite a paragraph in simpler English
Extraction	Pull stated information	List the dates and owners in meeting notes
Classification	Assign a label using criteria	Mark support requests by topic
Analysis	Find meaning, causes, differences, or options	Compare two proposals against stated needs
Search	Find existing information	Find the latest published train timetable
Calculation	Produce a numerical result from rules and values	Add tax to an invoice total
Decision	Choose or approve an action	Decide whether a loan should be granted

Some tasks combine patterns. A market review may require search, extraction, analysis, and generation. Separate the parts before choosing tools.

AI is stronger at some patterns than others

Generative AI can be useful for drafts, rewrites, categorisation suggestions, and early analysis. It can also help turn supplied material into a different format.

That does not make it the best source of current facts, exact calculations, formal approvals, or high-impact decisions.

For example:

Use an approved calculator or spreadsheet formula for a repeatable calculation.
Use an authoritative current source for a rule that may have changed.
Use an authorised person for a formal decision.
Use AI to help explain, organise, or draft only when its output can be checked.

Worked example: a job advertisement

The request is:

Use last year's job advertisement and prepare this year's advertisement.

This sounds like transformation, but it contains several hidden tasks:

Extract the old role details.
Find the approved current salary, location, and closing date.
Identify which requirements have changed.
Draft the new advertisement.
Obtain formal approval before publishing.

AI may help with steps 1 and 4. It should not invent the current salary or approve publication.

Quick check

A manager asks, “List every invoice number in these files.” What is the main pattern?

A. Generation. B. Extraction. C. Decision. D. Search of the public web.

Check the answer

Answer: B. The invoice numbers already exist in the supplied files. The task is to pull them out accurately.

Remember

Name the action, not only the topic.
Split mixed tasks into smaller patterns.
Different task patterns need different evidence and tools.
Formal decisions remain with authorised people or approved systems.

Next, we will decide how reliable a result must be.