Tutorial 27 · 7 min read · Applies to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and AI built into job apps
Can you trust ChatGPT? The 2-minute check before AI answers reach a customer or a job
AI writes fast and sounds confident, even when it's wrong. It can invent a price, change a date, add an item you never quoted, or quote a rule that doesn't exist. None of that matters while it's still a draft. It matters the moment it reaches a customer or a job. This page gives you a 2-minute check to do every time, a few prompts that make AI check itself, and a clear line on where AI must never have the final say.
This expands Habits 2, 3 and 5 on safe AI habits. Keep that page for the short list; use this one as your pre-send checklist.
What you'll need
- The AI draft
- Your job notes or price list
- 2 minutes
Why AI gets things wrong
In plain English:
- It predicts words that sound right. It doesn't look things up the way you'd check a manual. People call made-up answers "hallucinations".
- It can be out of date and doesn't automatically know NZ vs AU rules, local council requirements or this year's prices.
- It fills gaps: if your note is vague, it guesses.
- It agrees with you: ask a leading question and it'll often go along with it.
Tip: Official backup (paraphrased): the NSW Small Business Commissioner and Australia's cyber security agency both warn AI can give plausible but wrong answers, so check important outputs. See nsw.gov.au (Small Business Commissioner) and cyber.gov.au for current guidance.
The 2-minute check: Numbers, Names, Promises, Rules, Tone
Remember it as Numbers, Names, Promises, Rules, Tone. Print this list and keep it near your phone.
Want ready-made prompts with checks built in? See the prompt library or take the quiz.
- Numbers. Every price, total, GST, quantity, measurement and hour. Check them against your notes or price list. Do the total on a calculator. AI is bad at maths. (GST rates are law: NZ 15%, AU 10% — verify if you're unsure.)
- Names and details. Customer name spelt right, right suburb, right job, right date and time. No details from a different customer's chat.
- Promises. Did it promise a start date, a guarantee, a warranty, "no extra cost" or a discount you didn't agree? Remove anything you wouldn't sign.
- Rules and tech facts. Any mention of standards, codes, consents, regulations, product specs or safety. Check against the real source, or delete it (see the warning below).
- Added extras. Items, steps or materials you never mentioned. Cut them.
- Tone. Does it sound like you? Too posh, too American, too long? Fix it.
- Would I sign it? Your name and licence are on it. If you're not sure, don't send.
Make the AI check itself
Compare against my notes:
Tip: These prompts help you catch problems, but they don't replace your own check. AI can miss its own mistakes.
Prompt: compare against my notes
Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:
Compare your draft with my original notes below. List anything in the draft that is NOT in my notes (added items, prices, dates, promises), and anything in my notes you left out. Don't rewrite yet, just list them. My notes: [paste] Draft: [paste]
Prompt: flag the risky bits
Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:
Read this message I'm about to send a customer. Highlight every price, date, promise, guarantee, technical claim or mention of a rule or standard, so I can check each one. Put them in a list. [paste]
Prompt: show me what you're unsure about
Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:
In your last answer, which parts are you least sure about, and which should I check against an official source? Be honest. Say "unsure" where you are.
Prompt: re-check maths
GST is 15% in NZ and 10% in AU (law, not a price — verify if your situation differs).
Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:
Recalculate these line items step by step and show your working: [paste]. GST is [15% NZ / 10% AU].
Warning: codes, standards and safety
AI often gets standards wrong. Electricians on Australian forums have reported ChatGPT confidently quoting the wrong or outdated AS/NZS 3000 clauses (treat that as a cautionary example from public discussion, not a verified quote of any one thread). It can mix up NZ and AU rules, old and new editions, and amendments.
Use AI only to explain things in plain English or to point you to where to look. Then read the actual current standard, regulation or manufacturer's instructions yourself.
Certificates and compliance paperwork (for example NZ CoC / ESC for electrical; gas and plumbing certificates; AU state certificates of compliance — verify the exact document names for your state or country), consents and engineering decisions are your responsibility under your licence.
Never send a customer a technical reason or safety claim you haven't checked yourself.
If in doubt, ask your regulator, industry body, supplier tech line or a senior tradie.
Related: H&S paperwork, AI prompts for electricians.
⚠️ Never let AI be the final word on wiring, gas, plumbing, building or safety.
Example (made up): quote
Example (made up — not a real customer). AI added "includes removal of old unit" and a total that didn't add up. The 2-minute check caught both before the quote went out.
Example (made up): customer reply
Example (made up). AI promised "we can start Monday". You hadn't confirmed. Changed to "I'll confirm a start date by Friday".
Example (made up): tech explainer
Example (made up). AI said a particular RCD requirement "applies to all homes". You checked the current standard, rewrote it in your own words, and removed the clause number.
When to skip AI entirely
- Emergencies and safety calls: phone the customer
- Complaints, disputes or anything legal: write it yourself or get advice
- Anything needing a licence sign-off
- When checking the AI draft would take longer than writing it yourself
FAQ
Can I trust ChatGPT's answers?
For drafting wording, mostly yes, if you check it. For facts, prices, rules and maths, not without checking. It can be confidently wrong.
Why does AI make things up?
It predicts likely-sounding words rather than looking up facts, so when it doesn't know, it can fill the gap with something plausible.
Can I use ChatGPT for AS/NZS 3000 or building code questions?
Only to get pointed in the right direction or to explain something in plain English. Always check the current standard yourself. It often gets clauses wrong.
Are paid AI plans more accurate?
They can be better, but every AI app can still make mistakes. The check is the same.
How long does checking take?
About 2 minutes for a quote or reply, and a lot less than fixing a wrong quote or an angry customer.
Is the AI in my job app (ServiceM8, Tradify, Jobber) safer?
It uses your real job data, which helps, but it can still word things wrongly. Check before sending. See job management apps compared.
Checklist
- ☐ Numbers checked on a calculator
- ☐ Names, suburb, date and time correct
- ☐ No promises I didn't agree to
- ☐ Rules/tech facts checked against the real source, or removed
- ☐ No added items
- ☐ Sounds like me
- ☐ I'd sign it
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trusting it because it "sounds right" or gives a clause number
- Asking "is this right?" (it tends to agree). Ask it to list what to check instead
- Letting AI do the GST or totals without re-adding
- Using AI answers about standards with customers or inspectors
- Reusing a chat where an old customer's details can creep into a new message