VERIFY: Think before you trust. Think better with AI.
You're using AI. So is everyone else.
But not everyone is thinking critically about what it gives back.
VERIFY is your edge. It helps you challenge, check, and choose better answers.
What is VERIFY?
VERIFY is a thinking cycle that helps you ask better questions, spot bias, and make stronger decisions. Whether you're using AI, reading online, or working through a tough idea.

AI is fast. It's smart. It's impressive. But it's not neutral.
It doesn't know your task, your values, or your context. That's where VERIFY comes in.
Validate the Task
Examine the Source or System
Reflect on Your Needs and Context
Investigate Further or from Other Angles
Filter for Quality and Fairness
Your Own Judgment
It helps you slow down, zoom out, and think clearly without giving up speed or creativity. It's a cycle, not a checklist.
VERIFY = 6 habits of smart digital thinkers. It's how you move from "get it done" to "get it right."
When to Use VERIFY
Before AI Interactions
Before you ask the AI a question, use VERIFY to frame better prompts and prepare for critical evaluation.
During Research Challenges
When you're stuck in your research or after reading something that feels off, VERIFY helps you break through.
While Creating Content
While you're writing, brainstorming, or fact-checking, use VERIFY to strengthen your thinking process.
For Deeper Thinking
Anytime you want to think deeper, not just faster, VERIFY provides the framework you need.
The VERIFY Cycle
Each letter in VERIFY represents a critical thinking step. Use this framework to evaluate AI outputs, assess sources, and reflect on your own thinking process.
You might start with V when crafting a prompt, jump to F when fact-checking, and end with Y when making your call. It’s flexible.
V – Validate the Task
AI Output
What was the original prompt? What type of task is this? Clarify goals.
Try this: Rewrite the prompt from another perspective. What changes?
Source Evaluation
What is this text trying to do? Inform, persuade, mislead?
Reflect: What do I think this wants me to believe? Why?
Reflection
What am I really looking for right now? Do I understand my task?
Ethical Cue: Am I solving the right problem or just the easiest one?
E – Examine the Source or System
AI Output
What system made this? Does it cite anything? Can I trace its logic?
Reflect: What kind of training might have shaped this answer?
Source Evaluation
Who wrote this? What's their bias or purpose?
Your Turn: Ask the AI to tell you the opposite viewpoint.
Reflection
Do I trust where this came from? What assumptions am I making?
Check-in: Am I confusing confidence with credibility?
R – Reflect on Your Needs and Context
AI Output
Does this answer match my purpose? What's missing for me?
Prompt: Ask the AI what it didn't include and why.
Source Evaluation
Is this relevant to what I need? Does it match my reading level?
Ethical Cue: Could this harm someone if shared without context?
Reflection
Am I rushing to accept this? What state am I in right now?
Check-in: What's the pressure I'm feeling and what's it making me ignore?
I – Investigate Further or from Other Angles
AI Output
What else could I ask? What perspective is missing?
Your Turn: Tell the AI to add a new point of view.
Source Evaluation
Can I find a counterpoint? Another source?
Reflect: What does disagreement teach me?
Reflection
Have I been too narrow in my thinking? What else might matter?
Expand: What's outside the frame that I haven't seen?
F – Filter for Quality and Fairness
AI Output
Is this answer biased, vague, or outdated? Does it favour stereotypes?
Challenge: Ask: "Who's left out of this response?"
Source Evaluation
Are stats/data accurate? Are voices missing?
Prompt: Try fact-checking three claims from different places.
Reflection
Does this feel fair? Am I being critical enough?
Ethical Cue: If I share this, what impact might it have?
Y – Your Own Judgment
AI Output
What will I trust and what would I defend?
Your Turn: Write a 2-line summary of what you believe now—and why.
Source Evaluation
Will I cite this? Why or why not?
Reflect: What standard would I need to trust this?
Reflection
What's my final stance? What do I believe?
Check-in: Could you explain your decision to someone who disagrees?
How to Use VERIFY
The framework is flexible—adapt it to your needs and learning style. The more you practice, the more natural it will becomes.
Validate the Task
Examine the Source or System
Reflect on Your Needs and Context
Investigate Further or from Other Angles
Filter for Quality and Fairness
Your Own Judgment
  • Start anywhere. Stuck? Start with V or R.
  • Use one letter or all six.
  • Don't wait for your teacher to tell you to use it. Make it part of your routine.
Want better responses from the AI? Ask better questions. VERIFY shows you how.
Why It Matters
Control Your AI Experience
AI can speed you up or slow your brain down. VERIFY helps you stay in control of the technology rather than letting it control your thinking.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
It's not about doing more work. It's about doing the right thinking at the right time to get better results with less wasted effort.
Develop Digital Wisdom
In an age of information overload and AI-generated content, VERIFY builds your critical thinking muscles you need for academic and professional success.
Try It Now
Evaluate Your Writing
Choose something you've written using AI.
Go through the VERIFY cycle with it.
Ask: What did I learn? What would I change?
Improve Your Prompts
Ask your chatbot for a better version of your last question using V + I to validate your task and investigate new angles.
Fact-Check Content
Spot 3 weak spots in an article using E + F to examine the source and filter for quality and fairness.
Evaluate Media
Decide whether to trust a claim using R + Y to reflect on context and apply your own judgment.
The smartest AI users don't just ask for answers. They question the answers they get.
VERIFY helps you do that your way.
Sandy Robinson