Can I trust what ChatGPT tells me?

Written 2026-10-15

Short answer. Not without checking. AI chat tools can write a confident answer that is wrong, including made-up names, numbers, dates and links. Check three things yourself: the names and numbers, any link or source it gives you, and anything you would act on.

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Why a wrong answer can sound right

These tools write the most likely next words. That makes the text fluent whether or not the facts are right. Some tools can also search the web, and even then they can misread a page. Fluent is not the same as checked.

The 3-step check

Pick the claims that matter. Names, numbers, dates, prices, deadlines. Ignore the filler.
Check each one somewhere else. Use the official page of the organisation involved: the tax office, the shop, the school, the maker of the product.
Open every link yourself. If a link does not open, or the page does not say what the tool says it says, throw that claim away.

A prompt that helps a little

Answer the question. Then list which parts you are least sure of and what I should check on an official page. Do not invent sources.

This does not prove anything. It points you at the parts to check first.

When not to rely on it

Money decisions, taxes and contracts.
Medicine and anything about your body.
Legal deadlines.
Anything where one wrong detail costs you.

For these, use the AI answer as a list of questions to take to the official source or to a professional, not as the answer.

Good uses that need little checking

Rewriting your own text, shortening a long email, explaining a word in plain language, making a to-do list from your own notes. You already know the facts, so you can see at once if it got them wrong. Five prompts for these jobs.

Questions

Does ChatGPT make things up?
Yes, AI chat tools can state things that are not true, including invented names, numbers, dates and links. This is why you check anything that matters against an official source.

How do I check a source an AI tool gave me?
Open the link yourself. If it does not open, or the page does not say what the tool claimed, do not use that claim. Then search for the same fact on the official site of the organisation involved.

Is the paid version more accurate?
A paid plan may give you a stronger model or more use, but we have no basis to say it never makes mistakes. Check important answers whichever plan you use.