You Let AI Do That?? The Strategy Research Desk
Research Once. Stay Informed. Use Find · Fence · Forge™ to turn one question into a source-checked finding, name what needs a person to decide, and leave with a research plan you can repeat.
Try it in five minutes
Free. Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini. Use your own material.
Step 1 · 30 seconds
Understand it
What you'll learn: How to use Find–Fence–Forge to research one question and check what AI finds.
Why it matters: AI can find a lot fast. It can also miss things, mix up dates, or point to sources that don't say what it claims.
You'll walk away with: One finding you checked yourself, a list of what needs a person, and a plan you can run again.
Step 2 · 2 minutes
Try it
Before you paste: Use pieces that are already public, or scrub them first. No client names. No numbers you'd protect. No one else's private details. Your voice lives in the rhythm, not the secrets.
- Find: write one question you need to keep up with, and list 1–3 sources you trust (official sites work best).
- Fence: leave out names, client details, logins, and anything private.
- Forge: copy the prompt into an AI tool that can search the web, and fill in the brackets.
Research question: [YOUR QUESTION — e.g. "What changed in the last 3 months for food truck permits in my county?"] Sources to use: [1–3 sources you trust, e.g. official agency websites] Rules: - Give me up to 3 findings, using only the sources above where you can. - For each finding: the official link, the date it was published or updated, and the exact sentence that supports it. - Keep verified facts separate from your interpretation. Label interpretation clearly. - Tell me what you could not verify. Do not guess. - Do not contact anyone, submit anything, register, or make decisions. Only report what the sources say.
Step 3 · 1 minute
Check it
Paste this into the same chat:
Audit your findings against the original sources. For each one: - Does the source actually say this? Quote it. - What type of notice is it, is there a deadline, and is it current? - Label it VERIFIED, UNCERTAIN, or NEEDS HUMAN REVIEW, with one line on why. Do not recommend whether to pursue, partner, watch, or pass — I decide that. Do not submit, contact, register, or spend anything.
Then ask yourself:
- Open the most important link yourself. Is the quote really there, and does it mean the same thing?
- Is the date current, and is the deadline (if any) still ahead?
- Did AI make anything sound more certain than the source does?
Step 4 · 1 minute
Decide
- Use it: the one finding you opened and confirmed yourself. That is your source-checked finding.
- Fix it: anything UNCERTAIN: old dates, weak sources, or claims bigger than the quote. Rewrite it to say only what the source says.
- A person decides: whether to pursue, partner, watch, or pass — and anything about money, contracts, law, or people. AI reports. You decide.
A person always makes the final call.
Worked example · illustrative
Illustrative: Ama Boateng runs a small (fictional) catering business and is deciding whether to bid on county catering contracts. Find: one question and the county procurement site. Fence: no client names, no logins, AI may not register or contact anyone. Forge: one checked finding.
FIND — Question: "What new county catering notices were posted this month?" Source: county procurement site only.
FENCE — AI may search that site and list notices with dates and links. AI must never register, submit, contact or spend.
FORGE — Finding:
• Notice: "Senior center meal service, 12-month term" — posted Oct 28, responses due Nov 20.
Quote: "Vendors must hold a current county food-service permit."
Label: VERIFIED — Ama opened the notice herself; quote and date match.
• Second item AI listed ("school lunch pilot") — UNCERTAIN: the link points to last year's notice. Set aside.
Needs a person: whether to pursue, partner, watch or pass — Ama decides after checking her permit dates.Why it works: Find, Fence and Forge are written down, the one finding was opened and confirmed by a person, the stale item is set aside instead of trusted, and the decision stays with Ama.
Weak version · spot the problems
There are several great catering opportunities with the county right now, including a senior meal contract and a school lunch program. You should apply soon — I can help you register on the vendor portal.
- No links, no dates, no quotes — nothing you can check.
- The "school lunch program" is last year's notice, presented as current.
- "You should apply" is a decision AI made for you.
- Offering to register breaks the fence: AI must never register or submit.
100-point self-check
Score your own output. Under 70? Fix the lowest line and run it again.
- Find: one clear question and 1–3 named sources you trust15
- Fence: what AI may do and must never do is written down20
- Each finding has a link, a date and an exact quote20
- You opened at least one source and confirmed the quote yourself20
- Findings are labeled VERIFIED, UNCERTAIN or NEEDS HUMAN REVIEW10
- The decision (pursue, partner, watch, pass) stays with a person15
Walk out with
- ☐ One finding you opened and confirmed yourself
- ☐ A short list of what needs a person to decide
- ☐ Your fence: what AI may do and must never do
- ☐ Your repeatable research plan, with how often you'll run it
Your repeatable research plan
Fill in the brackets once. Run it again whenever you need an update.
MY RESEARCH PLAN Question: [what I want to stay informed about] Sources: [the 1–3 sources I trust] How often: [weekly / every two weeks / monthly] AI may: search my sources, list dated findings with links, label VERIFIED / UNCERTAIN / NEEDS HUMAN REVIEW AI may not: contact anyone, submit, register, spend, or decide Only flag: what is new, urgent, or changed since last time I own: pursue / partner / watch / pass, and anything about money, contracts, law, or people How I'll prove the check works: each time, I open one finding's source and confirm the quote myself
Keep it going — no code needed
Follow the source
If a site you trust offers email alerts, saved searches, or a follow button, turn it on. Then the source tells you when something changes. Not every site offers this.
Schedule an AI research check
Some AI tools let you schedule a task to run on a set day. If yours does, paste in your plan. Review what it finds before you use it. Check the tool's settings to see if it's available.
Saved prompt + calendar reminder
Works everywhere. Save your plan as a prompt, then add a repeating calendar reminder with the prompt in the notes. When it pops up, paste, run, and check one finding.
Watch the replay
Optional — go deeper once you've tried it.
Watch the whole set on YouTube