When an AI result is not right

AI output is a draft, not a decision

If an AI result is wrong, vague, incomplete, off-tone, based on the wrong source, or stuck in progress, treat it as a recoverable draft problem. Start with four checks: give better context, ask a more specific question, choose the right output type, or stop regenerating and edit manually.

AI can be fluent and still wrong. Review generated output before sharing it with teammates, clients, students, or customers. For preview guidance and webpage-style sharing, read Review AI output and share web pages.

Availability and permissions

First decide what went wrong

Improve the prompt

A strong prompt includes goal, audience, source, format, constraints, and what not to change.

Weak prompt: Summarize this.

Better prompt: Summarize the selected customer interview notes for a product manager. Use five bullets: pain points, requested features, objections, exact quotes, and recommended follow-up. Do not add facts that are not in the notes.

Weak prompt: Make a table.

Better prompt: Create a comparison table from the attached files. Columns: feature, customer impact, engineering effort, risk, owner, and next step. If a value is not in the source, write "Not stated".

Weak prompt: Rewrite this.

Better prompt: Rewrite the selected note for a client-facing update. Keep the date and numbers unchanged. Remove internal team names. Use a calm professional tone.

Use better source context

AI Studio and Object Chat work best when the source is explicit. Select the objects you want AI to use. Attach the right files. Remove irrelevant files. Paste only safe, relevant URLs. Wait for uploads to finish.

If the result ignored a file, check whether the file actually uploaded. A file that is still processing or failed is not included in the AI request.

If the source material is huge, ask a narrower question. For example, instead of asking for a full strategy from five documents, ask for the risks in one document or a comparison across two selected sections.

Choose the right AI surface

Using the wrong surface can make the result feel wrong even when AI works correctly.

Regenerate or edit manually

Regenerate when the model misunderstood the task, used the wrong source, chose the wrong format, or produced an unusable draft.

Edit manually when the result is mostly correct and only needs judgment, tone, wording, or small factual corrections. Manual editing is often faster and avoids spending more credits on repeated attempts.

Ask Object Chat for a targeted critique when you are unsure what to fix: Review this generated draft and list the top five issues before I share it.

Fix pending, failed, or deleted outputs

If a placeholder is pending, wait first. File-heavy, image, audio, and webpage work takes longer than plain text.

If the placeholder stays stuck, refresh the canvas. If it still shows as pending, check whether credits ran out, the attached file failed, or the network dropped. Avoid submitting the same request repeatedly until you know whether the first one completed.

Deleting a processing placeholder cancels the server task from the canvas. Submit again only after deciding that another credit spend is acceptable.

If the output failed, simplify the request. Remove questionable attachments, use a smaller source file, choose a simpler output type, or ask for text first before asking for a complex visual or webpage-style result.

Fix attachment problems

If a file fails, try these steps:

Do not assume AI used a source file just because you intended to attach it. Confirm upload completion.

Fix credit problems

If credits are insufficient, AI actions are blocked before provider work starts. Workspace admins can buy credits or manage Auto-reload in Billing. Non-admin members, guests, and external collaborators need a workspace admin to add credits.

If you spent credits on an unsatisfactory result, review the source and prompt before trying again. Deleting a generated object does not return credits because the AI work already ran.

For details, read Understand AI credits.

Review before sharing

Before sharing AI output externally, verify:

Common mistakes

Do not regenerate the same vague prompt several times. Improve the prompt.

Do not ask AI to verify facts it cannot access. Attach or select the source of truth.

Do not share a fluent answer without checking the source.

Do not use AI chat for a human approval. Mention the teammate or use Team chat.

Do not ignore credit warnings. Repeated attempts can spend more workspace credits.

When to contact support

Contact support when AI Studio is available but consistently fails, a completed purchase does not update credits, a generation appears to spend credits without creating any visible placeholder or result, or a pending result cannot be recovered after refresh.

Include the workspace name, canvas link, output type, approximate time, prompt summary, attachment types, whether the placeholder appeared, whether credits were blocked or spent, and screenshots of the error. Do not send passwords, verification codes, private credentials, or unnecessary sensitive source material.