Sign inBecome a member
Start hereFreeGuide 6 of 7

Check AI answers before you use them: the 2-minute check

By the end of this guide, you have a 2-minute check for any text an AI writes, and a checklist your team can copy. Use it before you send, publish, sign or file anything. Time needed: 5 minutes to read, then about 2 minutes per text.

Why you need it: AI tools can invent a price, a date, a name or a law, and the sentence still reads well. OpenAI’s own help page says ChatGPT “can produce incorrect or misleading outputs” and can sound confident when it is wrong. It advises: “Use ChatGPT as a first draft, not a final source” (OpenAI Help). You are responsible for what you send, not the AI.

The 2-minute check

Read the text once, slowly, with your source next to it (the customer’s email, your notes, the price list). Check six things.

1. Facts (30 seconds)

Is every fact in the text also in your source?

  • Mark anything you didn’t give the AI: a delivery date, a product feature, a promise. Delete it or replace it with the real fact.
  • Watch for invented extras: “free delivery”, “10-year warranty”, “as agreed on the phone”.

2. Numbers (20 seconds)

  • Compare every number with the source. Look for swapped digits: CHF 1,250 vs CHF 1,520.
  • If the AI calculated something (a total, a discount, VAT), check it with a calculator. AI tools make arithmetic mistakes. For many numbers, ask the AI to “show each calculation step by step”, then check each step.
  • Check units: hours vs days, per month vs per year, per person vs total.

3. Names (20 seconds)

  • Customer, colleague, company and product names: spelt exactly right?
  • Is the form of address right: Frau/Herr, Madame/Monsieur, Signora/Signor?
  • Did a name from another customer slip in?

4. CHF and VAT (20 seconds)

  • Currency: CHF, not EUR or USD.
  • VAT: does the text say clearly whether VAT is included? Is the rate right? Swiss rates since 1 January 2024: 8.1% standard, 2.6% reduced (for example food, books, medicines), 3.8% for accommodation (ESTV).
  • Format: Swiss style is CHF 1’250.00 (apostrophe as thousands separator) or CHF 1,250.00. Use one style throughout.
  • Dates: DD.MM.YYYY, for example 09.10.2026. Check the weekday matches the date.

Look for any sentence about rights, duties, deadlines, guarantees, notice periods, data protection or tax.

  • Delete it unless you know it is right for your case, or check it against the official source: the law on fedlex.admin.ch, tax on estv.admin.ch, SME topics on kmu.admin.ch.
  • AI tools often mix up Swiss, German and EU rules. Ask: “Is this Swiss law?”
  • For anything with real consequences, ask your fiduciary (Treuhänder) or a lawyer.

6. Tone (10 seconds)

  • Would you say this to the customer face to face?
  • Too long or too formal? Cut the first and last sentence if they say nothing.
  • Swiss spelling in German: “ss”, never “ß”.
  • Right language and form of address: “Sie”, “vous” or “Lei”.

Worked example (hypothetical)

A joinery in Wil asks the AI to confirm an offer by email. The notes say: 2 oak tables at CHF 1,450.00 each, excl. VAT, delivery in week 46. The AI’s draft says:

“Thank you for your order of 2 oak tables at CHF 1,450.00. The total is CHF 3,190.00 including 10% VAT. Delivery is free and takes place in week 45.”

The 2-minute check finds four problems:

  1. Facts: “Delivery is free” is not in the notes. Delete it.
  2. Numbers: week 45 should be week 46.
  3. CHF and VAT: the rate is 8.1%, not 10%. The right total is CHF 2,900.00 + CHF 234.90 VAT = CHF 3,134.90.
  4. Tone: “takes place” sounds stiff. Write “We deliver in week 46.”

Without the check, the customer gets a wrong price, a wrong week and a free delivery you never offered.

See where the answer came from

When the AI used a document or the web, look at its sources.

  • Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat: hover over the numbered citations in the text, or click Sources below the answer to see every file, email or web page it used (Microsoft Support).

    What you’ll see: a card for each citation. From the Sources list you can open a file in its own app, for example Outlook.

  • Gemini: click Sources at the bottom of the answer, or the links in the text. A side panel shows the links. Not every answer has sources (Gemini Help).

    What you’ll see: websites, files or emails in the side panel. No Sources button means no links for that answer.

  • ChatGPT and Claude: ask “Which source supports each fact? Give the link or the file name.” Then open it.

Copy-paste checklist

Print it or pin it in your team chat.

AI CHECK, before you send

[ ] FACTS   Every fact is in my source. Nothing added.
[ ] NUMBERS Every number matches. Calculations checked.
[ ] NAMES   Names, spelling and form of address are right.
[ ] CHF/VAT CHF. VAT included or excluded is clear. Rate right
            (8.1% / 2.6% / 3.8%). Dates DD.MM.YYYY.
[ ] LEGAL   No legal or tax claim I haven't checked.
[ ] TONE    I'd say this face to face. Right language, "ss".

If one box is not ticked: fix it, or don't send.

Let the AI help you check (optional, 1 minute)

Paste this into the same chat, after the AI’s answer. It works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot:

Check your answer above. List, as bullet points:

  1. Every fact, number, name and date you used that was not in what I gave you.
  2. Every calculation, with the working shown.
  3. Every statement about law, tax or deadlines, and whether you are sure it applies in Switzerland. Don’t rewrite the text. Only list.

This finds weak points faster, but doesn’t replace your own check: the AI can miss its own mistakes.

When to check more carefully

Take more than 2 minutes when the text:

  • goes to many people (a newsletter, a website page, a job ad);
  • contains a price, an offer or a contract term;
  • makes a legal, tax, health or safety statement;
  • answers a complaint or a legal threat;
  • will be signed by you.

For these, ask a colleague to read it too.

For Swiss businesses

  • Know the three VAT rates. 8.1%, 2.6% and 3.8% since 1 January 2024 (ESTV). AI tools sometimes use older rates (7.7%) or German rates (19%). Correct them.
  • Check the law is Swiss. If an answer names “BGB”, “DSGVO” or “Code civil français”, it is talking about Germany, the EU or France. Swiss data protection is the FADP (nDSG), Swiss contract law is the Code of Obligations (OR/CO).
  • Use official sources. Federal law on fedlex.admin.ch, VAT on estv.admin.ch, practical SME guidance on the SECO KMU portal (kmu.admin.ch).
  • Check translations with a native speaker before they go to customers, especially in French and Italian, where a wrong form of address stands out.
  • The BizzyAI skills help. They mark gaps as [CHECK] or “to check” instead of guessing. Search for these markers before you send. If a skill keeps making the same mistake, tell the AI and ask it to update the skill (Customise a skill).

Sources

Legal note: This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change and every business is different, so always get advice from a qualified lawyer or your fiduciary (Treuhänder) before you act on it.

Next: Choose your AI assistant: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot

One practical issue every Friday

Every Friday: three AI stories that matter for Swiss businesses, and what to do about them. Free, in English, German, French or Italian.