Exercise · The core distinction
Are you verifying, or deciding to rely?
Lesson 5.1
Verification is checking whether an output is accurate, supported, and current.
Reliance is deciding how much weight to give that output in your work. They are related but not the same — you can verify a claim and still choose not to rely on it. For each move below, decide which it is.
Calibrated trust. Good AI use matches your confidence to the evidence. Verification tells you what the output is worth; reliance is the judgment call about whether that is enough for this task at these stakes. A tool can be perfect for brainstorming and still be the wrong final authority for a citation, a regulation, or a safety decision.