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Check the Robot

Perplexity shows its sources - so let's use them to catch the AI being wrong.

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    01

    The robot is confident - even when it is wrong

    AI chatbots sound super sure of themselves. Smooth. Calm. Never sweaty.

    But sounding sure is not the same as being right. A robot can be totally wrong and still say it like a news anchor.

    Today you learn the superpower that beats it: checking the sources.

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    02

    Pick a real question you actually care about

    Pick something YOU wonder about. Not boring homework you do not care about - a real itch.

    Good ones have a fact you can check: a number, a date, a how, or a why.

    Example: 'How much water should a kid drink in a day?'

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    03

    Ask Perplexity - the smart way

    Perplexity is a search robot that shows its homework. After it answers, it lists little numbered sources.

    Do not just type your question raw. Paste the pre-prompt below - it tells the robot to be honest and show where it got each fact.

    Read what comes back. Then say it back in your own words. That is how you find out if you really get it.

    what will really happen

    Perplexity answers and lists little numbered sources you can click.

    It sounds totally confident even when a source is weak or does not back the claim.

    Some sources are solid and some are random sites, so you have to check which is which.

    Open Perplexity (new tab)
    You are a careful research helper. Answer this question in plain, simple words a beginner can follow: [question]. Keep the answer short. Then list the top 3 sources you used and, for each one, say in one line what it actually claims. If experts disagree or the facts are not certain, say that plainly instead of guessing. Do not make anything up.
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    04

    Click a source and size it up

    See those little numbers next to the answer? Click one. It opens the real page the robot leaned on.

    Ask yourself: who made this page? A hospital, a school, a science group? Or some random site selling stuff?

    Pick the source that feels most solid.

    hold on - judge it, do not celebrate
    • Does the source actually say what the robot claimed, or something softer?
    • Which part of the answer has the shakiest source?
    • Would you trust this enough to put it in your own work?
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    05

    Say WHY you trust it

    Trust needs a reason. 'It looked nice' is not a reason.

    Good reasons: it is a real expert, it shows where its own facts came from, and it is not trying to sell you anything.

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    06

    Hunt for one shaky or wrong thing

    Now be a detective. Read the answer again and compare it to the sources.

    Look for: a fact no source backs up, two sources that disagree, a number that seems too round, or a claim that feels too simple.

    Find ONE thing that wobbles.

    Did you open a source and read it, or just trust the summary?

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    07

    Send the robot back to check your doubt

    Do not stop at a hunch. Make the robot prove it - or admit it does not know.

    Paste this new pre-prompt. It asks for real sources for or against the exact thing you doubted.

    Open Perplexity (new tab)
    You are a strict fact-checker. Earlier I got an answer to this question: [question]. One part I doubt is this: [doubt]. Find real sources that either back it up or show it is wrong, and quote what each source actually says. If the sources do not agree, tell me the answer is not settled. Be honest even if the honest answer is 'we are not sure.'
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    08

    Write your own checking rule

    You just did something most grown-ups skip: you checked instead of trusting.

    Turn it into a rule you will actually remember. Make it yours - short and a little bit fierce.

    Example: 'Never believe a number until I see who counted it.'

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    09

    Sign your work

    This card is about to become yours. Put your name on it.

    Detectives always sign the case they cracked.

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    10

    Build your Source Check Card

    Time to snap it all together into one clean card you can keep or show off.

    Hit the button. The page fills in everything you typed - your question, the answer, your trusted source, your doubt, and your rule.

    Do the steps above and your Build my Source Check Card shows up here.
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    11

    Show off your detective work

    Copy your card. This is proof you can beat a confident robot.

    Real detectives share what they found so other people can check it too.

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    12

    Ship it to the class wall

    Post your Source Check Card to the class wall with the tag #Glunty.

    Read two other cards. Did they catch a doubt you missed? Tell them.

    That is how a whole room of kids becomes impossible to fool.

The class wall - share yours

Loading the class wall...

You out-smarted the robot!

You did not just swallow the AI's answer - you opened its sources and found the crack. That is a detective skill most grown-ups never learn, and now it is yours.

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