# AI-Assisted Research Quick Reference

## AI as Amplifier, Not Replacement

| AI Does Well | Human Still Essential |
|--------------|----------------------|
| Synthesize large feedback sets | Conduct interviews |
| Cluster themes, extract quotes | Interpret emotion, nuance |
| Draft competitor matrices | Verify facts, pricing |
| Structure TAM/SAM/SOM | Validate assumptions |
| Generate persona drafts | Ground in real users |

## Prompting Checklist

- [ ] **Context** — Role, product, audience
- [ ] **Output format** — Table, bullets, JSON
- [ ] **Citation** — "Cite source" or "Label [Evidence] vs [Inferred]"
- [ ] **Constraints** — Segment, time period, focus area
- [ ] **Recency caveat** — "Note if info may be outdated"

## Validation Steps

1. **Trace to source** — Can you point to user data?
2. **Check bias** — Over-weighting common patterns?
3. **Triangulate** — Matches interviews or analytics?
4. **Pressure-test** — What would disprove this?

## Ethical Checklist

- [ ] PII removed or anonymized before pasting
- [ ] No confidential roadmaps in public AI
- [ ] AI output not claimed as primary research
- [ ] Watch for demographic/segment bias

## AI-Augmented Workflow

```
Gather → AI Synthesis → Validate → Interview → Decide
```

## Limitations

| Limitation | Mitigation |
|------------|------------|
| Hallucination | Verify facts, request citations |
| Recency | Check model cutoff, add fresh data |
| Over-generalization | Segment-specific prompts, validate with users |
| Missing nuance | Manual review of raw data, outliers |
| Anchoring | Read raw data yourself first |

## Sample Synthesis Prompt

```
I'm a PM for [product]. I have [N] user feedback quotes below.
Synthesize into themes. For each theme:
- Name
- 1 representative quote
- Count of supporting quotes
- [E] if from data, [A] if inferred (flag [A] for validation)
```

## Research Readiness Template

- **Validated:** [What we confirmed with data/users]
- **Assumed:** [What AI inferred, needs check]
- **Missing:** [Gaps we couldn't fill]
- **Next step:** [Concrete validation action]