Check an AI-generated email for claims about work already completed

Look for words that close the door

Read the draft once just for statements of completion. Search mentally or with your editor for words such as “completed,” “finished,” “approved,” “resolved,” “submitted,” “sent,” and “ready.” Also notice phrases that imply the same thing without using those exact words: “You’re all set,” “This is taken care of,” or “The final version is in place.”

A completion claim may appear in the subject, opening sentence, status update, or sign-off. It can also be tucked into a dependent clause: “Since the review is complete, we can proceed.” Flag the claim even if the rest of the email is accurate. One unsupported sentence can change how a reader acts.

Break each sentence into checkable claims

For every flagged phrase, identify the action and the evidence it requires. “The report is finished” means the work is done; “the report is approved” means someone with the relevant authority has approved it. These are separate claims, and completing one does not prove the other.

Ask who did what, what stage it reached, and when that status was last confirmed. “I sent the file” is different from “the recipient received the file.” “I submitted the request” is different from “the request was accepted.” Avoid letting a fluent draft merge steps that have different owners or outcomes.

Check the status at its source

Use the record that is most directly connected to the work: for example, the current task entry, a reviewer's explicit response, or the sent message in the relevant conversation. Check that it refers to the same item and version as the email. A note about an earlier draft does not confirm approval of a later revision.

Look for the status and its timing, not just a familiar label. A task marked done may still need a separate sign-off; an old approval may no longer apply after a change. If you do not have access to the relevant record, or the status is ambiguous, do not fill the gap with a guess. Ask the owner or describe the status as unconfirmed.

Match the wording to what is known

If the work is underway, name the stage: “I’m preparing the draft” or “The review is in progress.” If it is waiting, say what it is waiting for: “The request is awaiting approval.” If you have done your part but cannot verify the next step, distinguish the two: “I submitted the file; I haven’t confirmed acceptance.”

For a completed action, use wording that reflects the evidence you actually have. If you verified that a message was sent, you can say it was sent. Do not upgrade that to “received” or “processed” without confirmation. When timing matters, include a date only if you have checked it and it is relevant.

Correct the draft, then review its consequences

Replace or remove the unsupported sentence, then reread the whole email. Check whether another sentence still depends on the false completion claim—for example, an instruction to begin the next phase or a promise about a delivery date. If the status is uncertain, make that uncertainty visible and state the next step, such as confirming with the reviewer.

AI assistance can help produce wording, but its output can be wrong. Review the original messages and records rather than treating a draft as evidence. Before sending, also verify the names, recipients, dates, promises, and financial details in the email. If your mail plan includes AI assistance, the same review is needed; availability depends on plan and provisioning.

A quick example and send check

Suppose a draft says the review is approved, but the project record shows that a reviewer has not replied. The draft has turned silence into approval. Do not send that claim. State what is known and what is pending instead, and avoid telling others to proceed on the basis of an approval that has not been confirmed.

• Did I flag every phrase that implies completion?
• Can I point to a current record or explicit confirmation for each claim?
• Does the email distinguish completed work from pending steps?
• Would a reader take an action based on a status I have not verified?

Draft: The review is approved, and we can begin the next phase.
Verified status: The review request was sent; no approval is recorded.
Revised: I sent the review request to [reviewer]. Approval is still pending, so please wait before beginning the next phase.