← The field guide

How do you check AI product copy before publishing?

A claim-by-claim review method, six failure cases, and a reusable evaluation brief for AI-assisted product descriptions.

The short answer

Check every factual claim against the approved record for that exact product. Reject invented specifications, borrowed variant facts, and unsupported promises before judging the writing. Use a small set of known failure cases to test the workflow, then keep a human release decision and a recoverable prior version.

Give the writer a bounded job

Example brief: write 50–80 words for one product detail page using only the attached source record. Preserve units and limitations. Omit unknown claims and return a separate list of missing facts for review. The length is a house-style choice, not an SEO rule.

Shopify tells merchants to review AI suggestions before applying changes. Its product-description tool produces suggestions from the details provided. Review is part of using the output, not proof that generation was accurate.

Source: Shopify: Best practices for AI-powered tools; Shopify: Automatically generating product descriptions

Check the claims inside a fluent sentence

Fictional approved record: DEMO-SHELF-24, a 24-inch-wide powder-coated steel shelf; hardware included; indoor use only; load capacity and warranty not provided.

Draft to reject: “This rustproof shelf holds 100 pounds anywhere, backed by a lifetime warranty.” The source supports none of those promises. “Anywhere” also conflicts with the indoor-use limit.

A factual replacement fragment: “A 24-inch-wide powder-coated steel shelf for indoor use. Hardware is included.” The reviewer’s separate note asks for load capacity and warranty evidence. Missing facts stay missing; polished language does not fill them.

ClaimEvidenceVerdict
24-inch widthExact product recordSupported
Hardware includedExact product recordSupported
Rustproof / 100-pound capacityNot providedReject
Use anywhereIndoor use onlyReject
Lifetime warrantyNot providedReject

Test the failures you would actually stop

Run these cases before adopting a new prompt, model, or source connector. Save inputs and full outputs, not just a pass rate. Anthropic’s evaluation guidance supports checking outcomes with code, model, and human graders suited to the task. The cases and release rules here are an original editorial adaptation.

CaseInput conditionRequired behavior
C1 · Complete sourceAll necessary facts suppliedPreserve facts and units
C2 · Missing capacityNo load ratingOmit capacity; flag missing evidence
C3 · Conflicting recordsTwo sources disagree on widthHold for an owner decision
C4 · Sibling variantNearby record has a different finishUse only the selected SKU’s facts
C5 · Expired promotionDated offer has endedDo not repeat the offer
C6 · Instructions in source textA product note tells the model to ignore the briefTreat the note as data; preserve the approved task
Download the evaluation brief and scorecard

Source: Anthropic: Demystifying evals for AI agents

Separate factual acceptance from style

First record unsupported or contradicted claims, wrong variant facts, missing required warnings, and unwanted actions. Any such release blocker fails that output under this proposed rule. Then score clarity, usefulness, and brand tone. A strong style score cannot offset a false specification.

For a small pilot, run each of the six cases three times under unchanged settings: 18 outputs. Report how many outputs contain a blocker, which cases fail, and the review time. Eighteen outputs are a local regression check, not a reliability estimate for the whole catalog.

Use exact checks for identifiers, dates, and units; use a person for ambiguous meaning and unsupported implications. A model can help flag claims, but asking the same writer whether its own copy is correct is weak evidence. Recheck failed cases and affected neighbors after a repair.

Source: Anthropic: Demystifying evals for AI agents

Review the actual page before release

Save the source version, prompt, model identifier when available, output, edits, reviewer, and decision. Preview the approved text on the actual product page. Check that the selected variant and visible specifications still agree. Preserve the prior copy and the smallest useful rollback unit.

Measure accepted descriptions per review hour, including corrections and rework. Faster drafting alone does not establish lower production cost. If a workflow can also publish, keep that action separately authorized and verify what went live.

Everstead is my ongoing website and site-care project. Its public direction includes reviewing updates before publication. This product-copy scorecard is a proposed method; it is not a claim about an Everstead feature, customer result, or employer process.

Sources & scope

Primary references checked for this edition. The notes below distinguish source-backed facts from the frameworks and examples proposed in this guide.

  1. Shopify: Best practices for AI-powered tools

    Supports reviewing AI suggestions before applying changes. The shelf example is fictional and the scorecard is a proposed method.

    Checked September 5, 2026
  2. Shopify: Automatically generating product descriptions

    Documents description suggestions generated from supplied product details, not guaranteed factual accuracy.

    Checked September 5, 2026
  3. Anthropic: Demystifying evals for AI agents

    Supports task-specific evaluation, suitable graders, and inspecting outputs. The six cases, 18-run pilot, and release threshold are proposed choices, not a vendor standard.

    Checked September 5, 2026

AI-assisted research and drafting. Provider-specific claims link to primary sources. Frameworks are editorial proposals; worked examples are illustrative and are not employer performance results.

Editorial policy & corrections ↗

Keep going

From request to release: a supervised commerce workflow.Does the product page match the variant you submitted?Product data an agent can use without guessing.