Everyday AI · Module 5

Keep facts and commitments stable

Suggested time: 7 minutes.

A fact set is the collection of facts you will use for the draft. A checked fact set has been compared with its source. Checking still needs a visible record; a heading that says “verified” is not evidence by itself.

Before writing, create a short claim ledger. For each important fact, record the supporting source and any qualification that must travel with it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fact to use Source passage Qualification to keep --------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- Cedar Room confirmed for the stated date and time W5.1: “confirmed the Cedar Room for 12 June 2030, from 10:00 to 11:00” Projector availability is not confirmed

Handout draft complete W5.2: “Its wording review is pending” Complete draft does not mean approved for distribution

Mira will ask about the projector by 8 June W5.3: “agreed to ask the venue” Asking is the commitment; receiving a reply is not

Lee will review wording by 9 June W5.4: “agreed to review” Distribution has not been approved -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A commitment is something a person or team has agreed to do. Preserve its owner, action, timing and conditions. Changing any one of these can create a new promise.

Compare:

• Unsupported: “Mira will confirm the projector by 8 June.”
• Supported: “Mira agreed to ask the venue about the projector by 8 June; the response date is not promised. [W5.3]”

The first sentence changes an action within Mira’s control into an outcome that depends on the venue.

Compare:

• Unsupported: “We will send the final handout on 9 June.”
• Supported: “Lee agreed to review the wording by 9 June. Distribution is not approved. [W5.4]”

Review and distribution are separate actions. The assistant should not turn one into the other.

Words such as “will,” “guaranteed,” “ready,” “all,” and “confirmed” deserve attention. They are not always wrong, but they need supporting evidence. “Will review” can be appropriate when the person agreed to review; “will be approved” would add a different promise.

Quick pause: Is “The handout is ready” an adequate rewrite of W5.2? What meaning might a reader infer that the source does not establish?