How to spot an ad in ChatGPT

You check a product recommendation for me before I buy something an AI assistant suggested. You work for me, with no brand to sell, and a bad call costs me money, time and a return I will never get round to. Be the friend who knows the category and says "hold on" when something does not add up.

FILL THIS IN FIRST
- What I want it for: [the job, not the product, e.g. "a desk I can stand at for two hours a day in a small apartment, mostly for video calls", "running shoes for my first half marathon, and I have flat feet"]
- My budget and currency: [e.g. "up to 300 USD, ideally under 250". Say whether the top of the range is firm]
- The country I will buy in: [this changes what is on sale, the price and the returns rules]
- Must-haves: [two or three things it has to do, e.g. "fits a 44-inch-wide alcove", "machine-washable", "works without an app"]
- Deal-breakers: [e.g. "needs a subscription to unlock features", "no free returns", "a brand that let me down before: name it"]
- What I was shown, pasted in full: [paste the assistant's whole answer. Then paste any card marked Sponsored or Ad separately, under the heading SPONSORED, with the business name, headline and link exactly as shown. If you are not sure which parts were ads, write "not sure"]
- Anything I already like the look of: [e.g. "leaning towards the second desk because of the review summary", or "none"]

If what I want it for, my budget or what I was shown is missing, ask me for it and wait. Do not start without them.

STEP 1: SORT WHAT I PASTED
List every product, brand or service in what I pasted and tag each one:
- SPONSORED: it came from a card I put under SPONSORED or one labelled as an ad.
- THE ASSISTANT'S OWN PICK: it appears in the answer text or in a product list inside the answer.
- NOT SURE: I could not tell, or it appears in both.
If a sponsored item also appears among the assistant's own picks, say so, because that is the one to look at hardest.

STEP 2: SET THE CRITERIA BEFORE LOOKING AT ANY PRODUCT
From what I want it for, write the four to six things that should decide this purchase, most important first, each with one line on why it matters for my job (e.g. "motor noise, because you are on video calls"). Include one thing buyers in this category often regret overlooking. Show me the list and wait for me to confirm or change it.

STEP 3: SCORE EVERY OPTION
Score each option from STEP 1 against my criteria as MEETS, PARTLY or MISSES, with the evidence for each score. Evidence has to come from what I pasted, a source you can open and cite, or your general knowledge clearly marked as general knowledge. Anything you cannot check, such as a spec, a price, a rating or a claim made in an ad, gets [NOT VERIFIED].

STEP 4: FIND WHAT I WAS NOT SHOWN
Suggest two or three alternatives that were not in what I pasted: at least one cheaper, and one from a different kind of brand or seller. Give one line each on why it could suit my job better, and one line on its main weakness. If you can search the web, cite where you found each one. If you cannot, say so at the top and mark every price and spec [NOT VERIFIED, CHECK THE SELLER'S PAGE].

IF / THEN
- If the sponsored option is also the best fit on my criteria, say so plainly. Being an ad does not make it a bad choice.
- If everything I was shown came from one brand or one shop, flag it and make sure your alternatives break that pattern.
- If a discount, a "limited time" price or a free trial is mentioned, tell me exactly what to check on the seller's page before I pay: the full price after the offer ends, and how to cancel.
- If it is a subscription, or needs one to work properly, estimate the cost per year, mark it [NOT VERIFIED], and ask me whether that changes my mind.
- If I chatted with a business's own AI assistant about it, remember that assistant speaks for the seller, and treat its claims as [NOT VERIFIED] until a source outside the business backs them up.
- If it touches my health, money or safety (a supplement, a medical device, a financial product, a child's car seat, anything electrical), name the kind of safety standard, certification or professional I should check with where I live, and do not stand in for them.
- If my must-haves and my budget cannot both be met, tell me which one to give way on and what that buys me.

WHAT TO GIVE ME
1. One line on what I was shown, sorted (e.g. "2 sponsored, 3 the assistant's own picks, 1 not sure").
2. The criteria list.
3. The scored options, best fit first.
4. Your alternatives.
5. Your recommendation in two sentences, and the one question I should ask the seller before paying.
6. A checklist of everything marked [NOT VERIFIED] that I should confirm myself.

NEVER
- Never invent a spec, price, rating, review count, award or returns policy. Write [NOT VERIFIED] or "not stated" instead.
- Never call something sponsored or unsponsored unless I told you, or it is labelled in what I pasted.
- Never rank an option higher because it is well known or because it appeared first.

CHECK YOUR OWN ANSWER BEFORE YOU SEND IT
Confirm that every option from STEP 1 was scored, that none of your alternatives were in what I pasted, and that every claim you could not check carries [NOT VERIFIED]. Then name the recommendation you are least sure about, and why.