WHITEBOXX FIELD GUIDE
How to check the research
behind an AI answer.
Check the source, calculation and interpretation behind a finding. A reference helps you locate evidence; the review establishes whether that evidence supports the conclusion.
THREE DIFFERENT CHECKS
Check what the source actually supports.
Open the cited source and find the observation or passage behind the finding. Then check how it was used: the selected period, any calculation and the conclusion drawn from it.
A figure can be correct but used to answer the wrong question. For example, economic output per person is not a measure of demand for a particular product.
AI as evidence in business analysis: what should the result contain?
AI can assemble, calculate and interpret evidence for a business question. The evidence pack should contain the source records or passages, their dates and definitions, and the calculation behind each numerical finding. The written interpretation explains how those inputs support the conclusion.
For example, a revenue investigation should retain the opening and closing account records and a movement bridge. An explanation based on support history should point to the relevant tickets and account mapping. This gives the next analyst or application the material needed to continue the work.
Inspect the revenue calculation and recordsSOURCE TO CLAIM
Three errors a source check can uncover.
| Evidence | What it establishes | Unsupported leap |
|---|---|---|
| A place record with existence confidence | The source’s confidence that the recorded place exists. | Treating that confidence as a site-quality or sales score. |
| A reported parent relationship | The stated legal-entity relationship under the source’s reporting definitions. | Assuming the same consolidation basis across all financial facts. |
| A GDP-per-capita observation | Economic output per person under the indicator’s units and period. | Calling it household income or demand for a product. |
NUMERICAL FINDINGS
Show how the numbers were calculated.
Keep the original values, units, denominator and calculation. Distinguish percentage growth from a percentage-point change, and say whether figures use current prices or have been adjusted.
Whiteboxx has calculation tools for ratios, changes and ranking over retrieved data. The result should include the method and source references so a reviewer can check it.
AN INSPECTABLE EXAMPLE
Try the checks on a published example.
The market-entry analysis includes source definitions, original requests, observations and calculations. Download the data to follow how each finding was reached and see the further research needed for a commercial decision.
Inspect the worked analysis