Wave 2 · Content reliability

How to Make Sure AI Has Not Changed Your Instructions

Use this check when AI rewrites a policy, procedure or staff instruction in plainer language.

The practical point

Use the steps below before you rely on an AI result or pass it to someone else.

1 Step 1

Read the original first

Make sure you understand what the original tells people to do before you look at the AI version.

2 Step 2

Compare the two versions

Ask:

  • Is the same person responsible?
  • Is the same action required?
  • Is the same condition still present?
  • Does the same approval remain necessary?
3 Step 3

Check the important words

Check words such as must , may , only if , unless , before , after and subject to . These words can change what people are allowed or required to do.

4 Step 4

Try an unusual case

Try a case where the answer is not automatic. For example, the service was partly delivered, the request is late or the approval is missing.

5 Step 5

Ask the policy owner to approve the result

If the two versions do not clearly match, pause and ask the person responsible for the policy.

Worked example

See it in practice

Original:

A refund may be considered when the service has not been delivered and the request is approved by the service manager.

Risky rewrite:

You will receive a refund if the service was not delivered.

The rewrite changes the rule in two ways. It turns a possibility into a promise and removes the manager approval.

Meaning-preserving rewrite:

If the service was not delivered, you can ask for a refund to be considered. The service manager must approve the request.

This version is easier to read without creating a new promise.

What good looks like

The aim is not to stop AI from simplifying text. The aim is to make sure staff will take the same action after reading the rewrite as they would have taken after reading the original.

Prompt you can copy 
Rewrite this instruction in plain English. Keep the same people, actions, conditions, approvals, limits and uncertainty. Do not create a new promise or requirement. Then compare the original and rewrite in a table and flag every possible change for a person to check.
Original:
[PASTE ORIGINAL]

Edit the words in square brackets before you use it.

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Published by the Nova9 editorial team. Last checked July 2026.