# Search vs Chat Decision Card

For the method in
[Search vs Chat: Which One Actually Gets You a Verifiable Fact](/articles/search-vs-chat-for-facts).
The test: will you act on it, repeat it, or need to defend it later?

## Not for

General productivity tool choice (drafting, brainstorming, summarizing your own documents) - see
[AI vs Google](/articles/ai-vs-google) for that broader decision.

## Step 1: Ask the stakes question

Will I act on this, repeat it to someone, or need to defend it later?

☐ No - casual/low-stakes → plain chat is fine, skip to done
☐ Yes → continue to Step 2

## Step 2: Pick the tool

☐ Search directly, read the actual page myself
☐ Chat with search/browsing mode turned ON (not default in every tool - check)

## Step 3: Verify the citation, don't just trust the summary

- [ ] Opened at least one cited link myself
- [ ] Confirmed the specific claim I care about actually appears there
- [ ] Checked the source is not misquoted or blurred with opinion

## Step 4: Route to a more specific method if needed

- [ ] This is a viral post/claim someone shared → use the viral claim source-trace method instead
- [ ] This is an AI-written news summary → use the news summary primary-source check instead
- [ ] This needs many sources synthesized into a report → use Deep Research mode, then audit it

## Quick reference table

| Question type | Plain chat okay? |
| --- | --- |
| Concept explanation, no current fact | Yes |
| Current regulation, price, date, statistic | No - verify |
| Summarizing a document you provided | Yes |
| A specific study's findings | No - find the paper |
| Brainstorming, drafting | Yes |
| A claim from a group chat/social post | No - use viral claim method |

## Done

☐ Openable source found and checked (if stakes were high)
☐ Decision or claim recorded with its source