🧠AI Foundations
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Exercise15 min·Lesson 4 of 5

Try It Now — Fact-Check a Response

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What you will need: Open any AI tool you have access to — ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity AI on your phone or computer. Also have a browser tab ready for verification. This exercise takes about 15 minutes and works best if you actually type the prompts and do the checking steps yourself.

Your Task: Fact-Check an AI Response on a Kenya Topic

In this exercise, you will ask an AI a question about Kenya, receive an answer, and then systematically fact-check the key claims using the methods from this unit. You are practising the habit of a professional researcher.

Step 1: Ask the AI a Factual Question

Type this prompt into your chosen AI tool — copy it exactly:

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'Give me 5 key facts about mobile money usage in Kenya, including statistics. Include figures like number of users, transaction volume, or percentage of GDP. Be specific.'

Read the response carefully. The AI will likely give you several statistics and claims. Write down (or copy) at least 3 specific claims with numbers that you will verify.

Step 2: Identify the Claims That Can Be Verified

From the AI's response, pick out claims that are specific and checkable. Good candidates include:

  • Any percentage figure (e.g. '% of Kenyans who use mobile money')
  • Any transaction volume figure (e.g. 'KES X billion processed per month')
  • Any user count (e.g. 'X million registered M-Pesa users')
  • Any comparison claim (e.g. 'Kenya leads Africa in...')

Step 3: Verify Using Primary Sources

For each claim you selected, open a new browser tab and search for the primary source. Try these sources in order:

  • Central Bank of Kenya website (centralbank.go.ke) — look for the National Payments Report or M-Pesa statistics
  • Communications Authority of Kenya (ca.go.ke) — look for the Annual Sector Statistics Report
  • KNBS (knbs.or.ke) — for broader economic and population data
  • If you cannot find primary data, search: [claim topic] Kenya [year] site:ca.go.ke OR site:centralbank.go.ke

For each claim, note: Does the primary source confirm it? Is the figure the same, different, or not found at all?

Step 4: Check the Dates

For any source you find that confirms or contradicts the AI's claim, check when it was published. Mobile money data changes every quarter. Note whether the AI's figures are current or potentially outdated.

Step 5: Ask the AI to Revise Based on Your Findings

Now go back to the AI and type a follow-up prompt like this:

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'I checked your claim that [paste the specific claim here]. The Central Bank of Kenya's latest report shows [what you found]. Can you acknowledge this correction and tell me what your training data cutoff is?'

See how the AI responds. A well-designed AI will acknowledge the correction. This also gives you practice in correcting AI output confidently — a skill valued in any professional setting.

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Reflection prompt: After completing the steps, ask yourself: How many of the AI's claims were accurate? Which ones needed correction? How long did the verification take? What would have happened if you had used the AI's response directly in an assignment or presentation without checking? Write a short note to yourself about what you will do differently in future research.
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You have now practised the full research verification cycle — prompt, receive, identify claims, verify with primary sources, check dates, and correct. This is the workflow that separates reliable professionals from those who inadvertently spread errors. Hongera — well done!