In a July 9, 2026 presentation test, the tester found that AI put a proposed date in the most prominent spot on a slide. The note underneath still said approval was requested. If I’m preparing to present, I’d read the headline by itself and ask what the room is likely to take from it.
How do I check AI slides before I present?
Pick the slide people are most likely to act on. Open the latest approved source beside it and check the headline, the number or date, and the words that tell readers its status. Fix anything that implies more than the source supports. Export the deck and open the version you’ll actually share. Read that slide again, including what you plan to say.
Watch what the slide makes easy to believe
The July test used a fictional project with deliberately planted errors. The reviewer reports that a proposed transition date took the lead even though it was still awaiting approval. In a separate March 2026 account of experimenting with AI tools, a writer questioned a chart's data and was told the figures were indicative. That account describes a chart in an AI-generated PowerPoint presentation, but it does not establish that anyone relied on the figures in a real decision. It illustrates why a chart should not be presented as verified without checking its source.
Microsoft’s PowerPoint Copilot guidance advises reviewing and verifying generated content. The check below works in any slide editor. Keep confidential decks and notes out of an unapproved AI tool. Use the sample below or check a real slide by hand.
Check one slide that carries a decision
Choose the slide the room might act on
Look for a slide that could make someone book a room, send an announcement or change a deadline. Write the action in one sentence. For this practice example, the slide says “Training moves to June 12.” A reader could take that as a date to put in their calendar.
Put the latest source beside the slide
Start with the message or document that has authority to settle the decision. For the sample, the approved schedule says June 5. A later discussion note proposes June 12 if the room is available. The later note matters, but it doesn’t approve a new date.
Make a two-column note on paper. On the left write the claim someone might repeat. On the right write the strongest source and what it actually confirms. For this example, the confirmed date is June 5. June 12 is a proposal.
Fix the claim people will see first
I’d put “June 5 remains the approved training date” on the slide. Put the proposal and its condition below only if the audience needs them. If you want a second pass, paste the made-up example into a text chat.
Slide headline: Training moves to June 12. Approved schedule: Training is June 5. Discussion note: June 12 is proposed if the room is available. Which words in the headline imply approval? Suggest one headline that preserves the approved date. List any detail you cannot establish from these lines.
Check the answer against the two notes. If a number has no traceable source, take it off the slide until you can verify it.
Open the version you’ll send
Export or reopen the deck in the format the audience will receive. Find the slide and read its headline and any qualifier at presentation size. If you’re speaking, make sure your notes don’t repeat the old claim. If the deck will go out as a PDF, the approved date and any important condition need to make sense on the page itself.
We can practice this on a recurring update in a one-on-one session.
Check the little words under a big claim
A small “proposed” under a large date is easy to miss. Put the status where the audience will read it. If two sources disagree, find out which one sets the decision before you send the deck. When the source is a PDF, compare the original section with the AI’s summary before you reuse it.
Bring a deck you send more than once
Bring a cleared sample of your recurring update to a 60-minute virtual session. We’ll check a decision slide and a slide that includes a number, then practice what to do when the newest note and the approved record disagree. I’ll help you spot the words someone could read as a commitment. You’ll leave with two checked examples and a short review list for the next deck.
Last checked November 14, 2026.