How to make AI
know your business.

01 / Choose the job

Ask one question worth answering.

Pick a recurring task: preparing for a client call, restarting a project or finding the latest agreed scope. Write the question before collecting files. For this exercise: "What is the current launch plan, who owns it, and what still needs approval?"

A small source set makes checking easier. Uploading every document at once adds old plans, unrelated material and information you may not have permission to share. Keep your originals and prepare a separate working copy.

02 / Keep the evidence

Three notes. Three dates. One reviewed change.

These people and records are fictional. Each note names its source, date and status. The dates help order events; the explicit replacement tells us which decision applies.

A newer note does not automatically outrank an accepted decision. If another note casually says "launch tomorrow," keep the disagreement visible and ask the decision owner to resolve it. Preserve the earlier plan as history.

03 / Supply the context

Give the AI a clear evidence rule.

Create a project or notebook in your chosen tool. Add these three notes as separate sources, with filenames visible. Add this instruction to the project, or paste it before your question:

Use only the supplied sources for project facts. Separate current decisions from superseded history. Cite the filename and supporting passage for each material claim. Identify contradictions and missing information. Do not treat a planned task as completed.

Ask the launch-plan question. A correct answer for this example would look like this:

Current launch: 19 October 2026, with the handover rehearsal required first. Source: decision-07.md, "Move launch to 19 October 2026. Complete the handover rehearsal first."

Owner: Mira. Source: decision-07.md, "Mira remains the owner."

Unresolved: Supplier approval and evidence that the rehearsal finished. Source: handover-08.md, "Supplier approval is pending" and "completion is not recorded."

Open each source and compare the quoted words. A citation can be incorrect or support only part of a sentence. The old 12 October date should appear only as superseded history.

04 / Test the gaps

A useful answer sometimes says "unknown."

Now ask: "Has the supplier approved launch, and how much revenue has this project earned?" The answer should say no final approval is established by these records, and revenue is unknown. A target date proves neither approval nor income.

Save failures in a short check sheet: question, expected answer, actual answer and the source that settles it. Correct the source or instruction and try again. A few passing checks are useful evidence for this workflow, not a general accuracy or security certification.

05 / Set the real boundaries

Instructions do not grant or restrict access.

A note saying "approved sources only" tells the assistant how to behave. Actual permissions live in the storage platform, account, connector and sharing settings. Confirm who can access each file before connecting it.

Separately review the AI provider's current data-use, retention and training settings for your exact plan. An instruction to "keep this private" does not change those settings or establish UAE data residency. Test with fictional material first; agree the tools and processing arrangements before using sensitive records.

06 / Make returning easier

Leave a checkpoint you can verify.

Save a short checkpoint with the current decision and its source, evidenced completed work, unresolved questions and one next action. When a decision changes, record who accepted the replacement and which earlier decision it supersedes.

Check whether your chosen tool needs sources re-uploaded or refreshed. A folder changing on your laptop does not prove an uploaded copy changed. Keep portable copies and test one real question after each update.

Once the example works, repeat it with one non-sensitive workflow you own. Expand the source set only when you can still check the answer.