8.3 Build a Reliable AI Workflow

The most failure-prone pattern is prompt, copy, send. A reliable workflow places AI on a line with checkpoints: define the goal, inspect the input, create an editable AI draft, verify and revise it, and obtain human approval.

A practical five-step workflow for everyday users is:

1. Define the goal and success criteria.

2. Check permission, sensitive information, and material completeness.

3. Ask AI for a draft and allow it to mark unknowns.

4. Verify facts, numbers, sources, and constraints against the source material.

5. Have the responsible person revise and approve before sending or publishing.

Catch errors at the right checkpoint

Each checkpoint catches different problems. Input inspection catches missing pages, blurry images, and sensitive information. Draft verification catches invented numbers, omissions, and misunderstandings. Pre-send approval catches wrong recipients, attachments, and final tone. Keeping the source, prompt, AI draft, and human revision makes it possible to trace errors back.

Higher risk needs stricter checks. A small rewrite of public text may need a quick review. Health, legal rights, finances, or another person's privacy require qualified people rather than final AI decisions. Automation speed never replaces responsibility boundaries.