Check a simplified AI answer against its source

Before you start

Use ChatGPT’s custom instructions guide to save your preferred reading format. For this exercise, use the fictional text below; it contains no personal information.

A worked example

Original: “Submit the request by 17:00 on 14 October. A manager must approve requests above €250. Requests received later move to the next review.”

Too vague: “Send your request soon and ask your manager.” This loses the deadline, the amount and what happens if you are late.

Useful rewrite: “Send your request by 14 October, 17:00. If it is above €250, get manager approval. A late request goes to the next review.”

Try the method

1. Copy a short passage you are allowed to share.
2. Ask for plain language using the prompt below.
3. Compare every date and amount with the original.
4. Check that conditions and exceptions remain.
5. Ask for a correction if anything was removed.

Suggested prompt

If the result is still hard to follow

Ask for numbered actions instead of another summary. If the original meaning is unclear, ask the author rather than treating the AI’s interpretation as a correction.

Availability and limits

OpenAI documents custom instructions, not guaranteed plain-language accuracy. The example and checklist are editorial advice. Simplification can change meaning; keep the original available and have important wording checked by someone qualified for the subject.

Sources and checks

• OpenAI: custom instructions

Documentation checked: 2026-10-10. Product steps have not been tested in a signed-in vendor app for this edition.

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