06 — Give AI Text or a File to Work From

Source guide: choose permitted material, paste or attach, check readability, give a task and compare the answer with the source.

Context is information relevant to the current task. A source is material you can inspect, such as your notes or a document. Attaching a file does not guarantee it was read correctly.

First try readable text

Start a new chat. Copy the complete block below and send it. The notes are fictional and safe to use as provided.

Make a checklist from supplied notes

Copy this prompt

Use only these fictional workshop notes to make a short attendee checklist. Do not guess missing facts.

Workshop notes:

Day: Tuesday

Time: 3 p.m.

Place: Room A

Bring: a notebook

End time: not provided

Tell me which details are clear and which important detail would need asking about.

Compare the checklist with the notes. Tuesday, 3 p.m., Room A and a notebook should survive. The end time is unknown, not a fact to invent.

Try attaching a file, if useful

Use a short document you already have permission to share, with sensitive details removed. If you have none, the pasted-text activity above is enough.

  1. Start a chat. Near the message box, look for the attachment/add control. ChatGPT: + or Add files; Claude: +/attachment menu; Gemini: Add files, then Upload Files.
  2. Choose a file from your device and wait until its name/attachment appears. Avoid connecting your whole Drive or inbox for this practice.
  3. Send: “What is the title or first heading of the attached document? Tell me whether you can read its text. If you cannot, say so.” Compare with the document yourself.
  4. Then ask for one useful thing, such as “Turn the attendee instructions in this document into a checklist. Use only the document and flag missing details.”

If uploads are unavailable, blocked or at a limit, paste a short relevant text excerpt instead. For an image or scanned document, check that names/numbers were read accurately; copying text from the original is a useful alternative when possible. A website link alone is not proof the assistant opened it.

Use the check below in the chat containing the checklist you want to check, whether you used pasted notes or a file.

Check the checklist — same chat

Copy this prompt

Check the checklist against the source text you could read. Point out a missing requirement, an invented detail or uncertainty about reading the source. Do not rewrite yet. Tell me what I should compare with the original.

Choose any needed correction and ask for it. Compare the revised checklist with the original. Keep the source available: a summary can lose details.

Next: lesson 07 separates the facts it should use from instructions about how it should help.

This is alpha material. Report unclear instructions or errors through a public issue or email help@bigleverinstitute.org. Share only redacted or fictional material.