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Unit B-2: Having the AI Ask Questions and Give Critique

Related competencies: B3 | Estimated time: 10 minutes

Why This Skill Matters

Generative AI has two tendencies worth knowing about. One is that it fills in missing information with its own guesses, producing output that merely looks plausible. The other is that it tends to respond favorably to the user (it's prone to flattery). Left unaddressed, these tendencies leave you with "a deliverable built on mismatched assumptions" and "reassurance with no real basis." On the other hand, if you use instructions that have the AI ask questions first and instructions that have it give unflattering critique, the AI turns from a mere drafting assistant into a candid sparring partner that helps you prepare a project or presentation.

Core Concepts

  • Technique 1: Have the AI ask questions (interview method) — When you ask, "Before you create this, please ask me for the information you need," the AI will ask about the audience, purpose, and constraints. This is especially useful when you're not sure what to tell it in the first place. Capping the number of questions (for example, "up to 3 questions") makes them easier to answer.
  • Technique 2: Have the AI give unflattering critique (asking for critique) — Show it your work as-is, and you tend to get praised. Specifying four things — a role (a strict reviewer or evaluator), an explicit ban on flattery, a number of points, and a request to give reasons and suggested fixes — makes candid, concrete feedback easier to draw out. Adding which aspects you want evaluated (structure, evidence, length, and so on) makes the critique even more precise.
  • Don't take the critique at face value — Even AI feedback can include points that are off-base or mistaken. Judge the validity of each point yourself, and adopt only what you find convincing (the final call is always a human's job).

Exercise Themes and Flow

Choose the tab closest to your own profession. There are three steps: Step 1: Prepare something to be critiqued → Step 2: Have the AI ask questions → Step 3: Have the AI give critique. You don't need a finished piece to critique — a simple draft, or the deliverable you created in Unit B-1, works fine.

Theme: Requesting critique of a conference presentation slide outline

Step 1 — Prepare a draft slide outline for a case report or research presentation (bullet points are fine).

Step 2 — First, have the AI ask questions.

I'm going to present a case report at a regional conference. To make the
slide structure as good as possible, please first ask me for the
information you need. Please limit yourself to 3 questions.

Step 3 — After answering the questions, paste your outline and ask for critique.

Below is the slide outline I created.
You are a strict attending physician with extensive experience mentoring
conference presentations. Flattery and encouragement are not needed.
For this outline, point out the 3 most important things to improve, in
order of importance, each with "why it's a problem" and "how to fix it."

(Paste your slide outline here)

Theme: Requesting critique of an in-hospital training plan

Step 1 — Prepare a draft plan for an in-hospital training session (bullet points covering the theme, audience, time, and structure are fine).

Step 2 — First, have the AI ask questions.

I'm planning an in-hospital training session. To make the plan as good as
possible, please first ask me for the information you need. Please limit
yourself to 3 questions.

Step 3 — After answering the questions, paste your plan and ask for critique.

Below is the plan I created for an in-hospital training session.
You are a strict education coordinator who has reviewed training plans
for many years. Flattery is not needed.
For this plan, point out the 3 most important things to improve, in
order of importance, each with "why it's a problem" and "how to fix it."

(Paste your plan here)

Theme: Requesting critique of a student trainee supervision plan

Step 1 — Prepare a supervision plan for a pharmacy student trainee (bullet points listing weekly goals and assigned duties are fine).

Step 2 — First, have the AI ask questions.

I'm creating a supervision plan for a student coming to our pharmacy for
their clinical training. To make the plan as good as possible, please
first ask me for the information you need. Please limit yourself to 3
questions.

Step 3 — After answering the questions, paste your plan and ask for critique.

Below is the trainee supervision plan I created.
You are a strict supervising pharmacist with extensive experience
hosting clinical trainees. Flattery is not needed.
For this plan, point out the 3 most important things to improve, in
order of importance, each with "why it's a problem" and "how to fix it."

(Paste your supervision plan here)

Theme: Requesting critique of a case conference presentation outline

Step 1 — Prepare a draft outline for a rehabilitation case presentation at an in-hospital case conference (bullet points are fine).

Step 2 — First, have the AI ask questions.

I'm going to present a rehabilitation case at an in-hospital case
conference. To make the presentation structure as good as possible,
please first ask me for the information you need. Please limit yourself
to 3 questions.

Step 3 — After answering the questions, paste your outline and ask for critique.

Below is the outline I created for my case presentation.
You are a strict senior therapist with extensive experience mentoring
case presentations. Flattery and encouragement are not needed.
For this outline, point out the 3 most important things to improve, in
order of importance, each with "why it's a problem" and "how to fix it."

(Paste your outline here)

Steps

  1. Prepare something to be critiqued (an outline, a plan, or a schedule). It doesn't need to be polished — a draft-stage version actually helps you appreciate the value of the critique more.
  2. Send the Step 2 prompt that has the AI ask questions, and answer the questions it asks. If a question makes you think, "I hadn't considered that," that in itself is a valuable outcome.
  3. Send the Step 3 critique prompt and receive the feedback.
  4. Read the feedback and apply only the points you find valid to your deliverable. For points you're not convinced by, it's also good practice to push back with something like, "I don't think that point applies to my purpose here — why do you think that?"
  5. Keep this conversation history — do not delete it. You can use it directly for the Area B practical exercise.

Example of Expected Output

  • In Step 2, you'll get questions that shape the direction of your deliverable, such as, "How many minutes is the presentation?" or "What does the audience look like?"
  • In Step 3, you'll get concrete structural feedback, such as, "The conclusion slide doesn't answer the question you posed at the beginning," or "There's too much content for the audience's level." If all you get back is a typo check or "this is great," strengthen the role and condition specifications in your prompt.

Common Pitfalls and How to Handle Them

  • Even after specifying a role, the AI still praises you: Narrow the request further, for example, "Point out just the single most serious problem, without holding back," or have it assign a numeric score, for example, "Rate this out of 10 points and explain the reasons for any deductions."
  • The feedback is too abstract to know what to fix: Ask it to "quote the relevant passage before pointing out the issue."
  • Too many questions to answer: Limit them, for example, "up to 3 questions" or "one at a time."
  • It cites literature or guidelines of questionable authenticity as grounds for its critique: Verify the existence of any cited source yourself (the hallucination you learned about in Unit A-1 can also occur during critique).

Safety Note

Do not include patient information in the material you critique, either

Do not paste a slide outline or plan that still contains real patient information (including case details) or real individuals' names. If you're working with case report content, anonymize and abstract it before pasting. Follow your institution's rules for handling unpublished research data.

Self-Check Quiz

You can check your understanding of this unit. There is no pass/fail judgment, and no record is saved.

Deliverable Feedback (Practical Exercise)

The dialogue you conducted in this unit can be used directly for the Area B practical exercise. At the end of the conversation, send the feedback prompt from the Feedback AI page to receive feedback, then paste the feedback you receive into the submission field on the Area B quiz page. (It's also fine to do this using the Unit B-1 theme instead.)

Next Steps

Try the Area B quiz. Once you've passed the quiz (4 out of 5 correct) and submitted the practical exercise, you can issue the Area B certificate.

References (Optional)

  • Jun Kinoshita, "A Case Study of Using Generative AI in a Course on Collecting, Evaluating, Processing, and Providing Drug Information" (Japan Society for Medical Education, ICT Education Committee Symposium No. 3, 2026-01-20; in Japanese): Slide PDF / Talk video — A practical case study related to the pharmacy theme.

This unit is self-contained even without consulting this resource.