Everyday AI · Module 3

Preserve meaning and make uncertainty visible

Suggested time: 7 minutes.

Before accepting a sentence, compare its meaning with the source in both directions:

• Does the source support everything the sentence says?
• Has the sentence left out a qualification that makes its claim misleading?

The second check matters because an answer can use only source words and still mislead by omitting “if approved” or “for this workshop only.”

Keep the small words that carry the rule

“May be considered” is not “will be accepted.” “Must be received by 17:00” is not simply “send on that date.” “Up to 24” is a maximum, not a guaranteed attendance figure. “Only if” states a necessary condition. “Also” means an additional requirement, not a replacement.

A faithful rewrite may replace difficult words, but it must preserve these relationships. Sometimes the clearest version is two short sentences rather than one compressed sentence.

Missing information and disagreement are different

Use not provided in the supplied text when the packet does not give a requested fact. Do not substitute a likely person or write “unassigned” unless the source says that.

Use unresolved disagreement when two applicable passages give incompatible answers and you have no stated rule for choosing between them. Include both values and their labels. Do not average them, pick the more convenient answer or assume the latest message is authoritative.

Snapshot D3 Two planning notes

Both notes below have the same status: unapproved planning notes. Neither is identified as replacing the other.

• D3.1: The welcome slot is proposed to begin at 10:00 on 3 June 2027. The time needs confirmation.
• D3.2: The welcome slot is proposed to begin at 10:30 on 3 June 2027. The time needs confirmation. These notes do not name the welcome speaker.

Weak extraction:

• Welcome time: 10:30, confirmed
• Welcome speaker: Workshop coordinator

Corrected extraction:

• Welcome time: Unresolved; one note proposes 10:00 and another 10:30 on 3 June 2027. Both need confirmation. [D3.1; D3.2]
• Welcome speaker: Not provided in the supplied notes. [D3.1; D3.2]

The time field contains a conflict and an approval gap. The speaker field contains missing information. These problems need different descriptions.

For a low-risk internal draft, preserve the conflict and continue with supported facts. If the task requires a single confirmed time for an announcement, you cannot complete that requirement from these notes. Ask the responsible person to resolve it before treating the announcement as ready. Do not send anything as part of this exercise.

Make the connection to evidence easy to inspect

For a claim based on an original rule and an amendment, cite both. For a missing field, point to the labelled field if one exists; otherwise state which complete packet you checked. A claim that something is absent needs a sufficiently complete review, not a quick glance at one paragraph.

Compare:

• Too vague: “The deadline changed. [Policy]”
• Checkable: “The routine deadline is now 16:00 on 14 April 2027. [D2.1; D2.A1]”

Your prompt can request labels, but your own review must verify them.

Pause and try: Why is “The welcome starts between 10:00 and 10:30” not an acceptable way to combine D3.1 and D3.2?