How to check an AI-assisted stock-research answer

Turn the answer into checkable claims

Suppose an assistant says a company has strong growth, improving margins and institutional support. Those are three different claims, not one conclusion. Ask what each means, which period it covers and which source could establish it. A plausible paragraph and a confidence score are not evidence.

Mark every sentence as a reported fact, an estimate or an interpretation. If the assistant cannot identify an original document, leave the statement unverified rather than trying to make the wording sound more certain.

Check the denominator and the date

A percentage needs a numerator, denominator and comparison period. Revenue growth, growth per share, currency-adjusted growth and an analyst forecast can tell different stories. Quarterly and annual measures should not be compared without saying how they differ.

Record the source's publication date and the period it describes separately from the date you retrieved it. Refreshing a page today does not update last year's accounts. A screenshot without these dates is a weak basis for a current claim.

Trace the original document

For a US reporting company, begin with its filings and investor-relations material. Use EDGAR to locate the document, then read the relevant statement, footnote or risk discussion rather than relying only on a search snippet. Check whether a later filing or amendment changes the picture.

Do not upload private account statements, passwords, access tokens or customer information into an AI prompt. A public financial filing is a different kind of input from your own confidential financial record.

Ask what could disprove the explanation

Request the strongest counterargument. Rising revenue may coexist with weakening cash collection; an improving percentage may reflect a changed business mix; a historical ownership filing may not describe current holdings. These are questions to investigate, not conclusions about an unnamed company.

Keep a short evidence ledger: claim, source, period, factual finding, uncertainty and next check. If a key input is unavailable, the right outcome may be 'not enough evidence'. Research support should make uncertainty clearer rather than convert it into a definite buy instruction.

Primary sources

• SEC filing search and research tools

Source links were reviewed on 19 October 2026. A review date does not make a historical document current. External organisations do not endorse this guide.

Try the research process

Explore GrowthIntel with illustrative sample data, or download the research-note worksheet. Neither provides a current buy recommendation.

More research guides · Future collaboration enquiries · Editorial policy