PAAF Pause & Probe Conversation

Aug 4, 2025
2 min read

Time to Complete: 15–20 minutes

Purpose: Guide yourself—or your team—through a critical review of a AI-generated output to ensure accuracy, fairness, and context before use.

Why This Matters

AI tools like AI can save time—but sometimes their outputs need a second look. This guide helps you pause, think critically, and ask the right questions before sharing or acting on AI-generated content.

Use it:

Before using AI content in public or high-stakes settings
To coach others on ethical AI use
As part of a team AI review or postmortem

Step 1: Choose the Output to Review

Paste or briefly describe the AI output you’re reviewing:

Example: “AI summarized our page into 3 bullet points for a team update.”

What did AI generate?

What was your original prompt or goal?

Step 2: Ask Critical Questions

Read the output carefully. Then answer these reflection questions:

Question	My Notes
Does this sound accurate and complete?
Is anything important missing or distorted?
Could this mislead, confuse, or offend someone?
Who’s the audience—and is this written for them?
Are there biases, assumptions, or stereotypes?
Would I feel comfortable putting my name on this?

Step 3: If You’re Editing the Output...

Make note of what you would change:

I would change...	Reason Why
Tone or voice
Accuracy or fact-checking
Added clarity, structure, or missing context
Formatting or length

Step 4: For Team Use (Optional)

Use these prompts for peer or group discussions:

“What would you keep, change, or flag in this output?”
“Does this represent how our team or org communicates?”
“What risks do we take if this goes out without review?”
“How can we adjust the prompt to get a better first draft?”

Final Decision

Based on this review, I will:

☐ Use the output as-is

☐ Edit before sharing

☐ Discard and try again with a revised prompt

☐ Escalate to a manager or reviewer

☐ Save for learning—not for public use

Notes:

Completion Checklist

You paused and reviewed the AI output
You asked critical reflection questions
You decided how to proceed (or how to improve the next prompt)

Ready to move forward with more confidence and better judgment