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MODEL GENERATIONS INTELLIGENCE HONESTY the gap
The Real Cost

AUTOMATION BIAS

AI sounds confident You trust it more You check less Errors compound
Where It Hits

Tasks where AI guesses without telling you

Vendor Contracts
Two clauses say different payment terms — AI picks one, never mentions the conflict
Meeting Notes
"Let's circle back next week" becomes a specific date and owner that nobody actually said
Invoices & Receipts
Insurance & Leases
CRM Building
Vendor Scoring
Rule 1 — Force Blank

Ask for evidence, not a score

CONFIDENCE: HIGH 8/10 VALUE: BLANK Flag: "Payment terms on page 8 are ambiguous — could be net 30 or net 45"
Rule 1 — Force Blank

What blank changes

WITHOUT THIS RULE

FieldValue
Payment TermsNet 30
Renewal DateJan 15, 2027
Liability Cap$500,000

WITH THIS RULE

FieldValueReason
Payment Terms — BLANK Pages 8 and 14 state different terms — net 30 vs net 45
Renewal Date Jan 15, 2027 —
Liability Cap — BLANK References "Exhibit B" — not included in document
Rule 1 — Force Blank

THE PROMPT

Extract the following fields from this document into a table. Rules: - Only extract values that are explicitly stated in the document. - When a value is ambiguous, missing, or unclear, leave the field BLANK. - Add a column labeled "Reason." Next to every blank field, include a one-sentence explanation of why you left it blank. - Base every value on what the document actually says. Quote or reference the specific section you pulled it from.
Rule 2 — Penalize Guessing

Change the incentive

DEFAULT BEHAVIOR Wrong answer = Blank answer WITH RULE 2 Wrong answer 3× › Blank answer
Rule 2 — Penalize Guessing

THE PROMPT

A wrong answer is 3x worse than a blank. When in doubt, leave it blank.
Rule 3 — Show the Source

Even when told to extract, AI drifts toward inference

YOUR INSTRUCTIONS EXTRACT ONLY ACTUAL BEHAVIOR RULE 3 — SAFETY NET catches inferences, labels them
Rule 3 — Show the Source

THE PROMPT

For each field, add a column called "Source." Mark each value as one of: - EXTRACTED: directly stated in the document, exact match - INFERRED: derived from context, calculated, or interpreted For every INFERRED field, include a one-sentence explanation of what you based it on.
Rule 3 — Show the Source

EXAMPLE — CONTRACT

Field Value Source Evidence
Start Date Jan 15, 2025 EXTRACTED Section 2.1, paragraph 1
Term Length 24 months EXTRACTED Section 2.1, paragraph 2
Renewal Date Jan 15, 2027 INFERRED Calculated 24 months from start date. Check Section 8 — early termination clause may alter this.
The Complete Prompt
Check everything → Check blanks (scan inferred, approve rest)
Extract the following fields from this document into a table. Rules: - Only extract values explicitly stated in the document. - When a value is ambiguous, missing, or unclear, leave the field BLANK. - A wrong answer is 3x worse than a blank. When in doubt, leave it blank. - For each field with a value, add a "Source" column: EXTRACTED = directly stated, exact match INFERRED = derived, calculated, or interpreted - For every INFERRED field, add a one-sentence explanation. - For every BLANK field, add a row to a separate "Flags" table explaining why the value could not be extracted.
Recap
01
Force Blank + Explain
02
Penalize Guessing
03
Show the Source