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You need to know whether an AI's reasoning actually holds up. Not whether it sounds convincing. Whether it is sound. Here is a three-part technique you can apply to any AI response that shapes a decision you care about.

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Every piece of reasoning has a conclusion and premises that supposedly support it. What facts or principles does it say justify that claim? If you cannot identify separate premises, the reasoning is already suspect. Even true premises might not be enough to justify the conclusion.

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Watch when an AI leaps from a few examples to a universal rule. Third, check for suppressed alternatives. The AI has likely presented one causal story or one set of options. What did it leave out? What would someone arguing the opposite position emphasise?

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If you cannot generate a plausible counterargument, you have not understood the issue fully yet. Here is how this plays out with real AI output. You ask for an analysis of whether to approve a budget increase. The AI returns confident predictions about return on investment.

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You map the structure. The premises: past projects with similar budgets exceeded targets, market conditions favour expansion, and the competitor is already investing. You test for independence. The AI cites "similar budgets" but does not define similarity. That is an assumption dressed as fact.

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You test for relevance. Market conditions might matter, but does the AI connect them to your specific sector and timeline? You test for sufficiency. Three past projects and one competitor move might not justify a general rule about your situation. You check for suppressed alternatives.

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What projects with similar budgets failed? What if the competitor is overextending? The AI never mentioned these. You are now in a position to use the AI output rather than be used by it. You can request the missing definitions. You can ask for the failed cases. You can require the specific connection between market data and your timeline. You have turned a polished answer into a testable proposal. This technique works for strategic recommendations, risk assessments, operational plans, and any consequential judgment an AI offers you. The calculation or wording might look sophisticated. Your job is not to be impressed. Your job is to know what would make you change your mind, and check whether the AI has supplied it. The few minutes you spend now can prevent a costly decision you cannot unwind later.