AI-generated work tends to look finished before it is correct. Sentences are smooth, code compiles, images are polished. That polish is exactly why reviewing it needs a method rather than a glance.
Check against the brief first
Before judging quality, check completeness. Put the brief and the delivery side by side and tick off every requirement. AI output often handles the common case well and silently skips the unusual one you specifically asked for.
Text and documents
- Verify every factual claim that matters: names, dates, figures, quotations and citations. Treat any reference you cannot find as invented until proven otherwise.
- Read for sameness: repeated sentence shapes and generic openings suggest nobody edited it.
- Check that terminology and numbers stay consistent from start to end.
- Confirm the tone fits the audience, not just the topic.
Code
- Run it. Do not review code you have not executed, and do not accept tests that were produced together with the code unless you have read them.
- Look for missing error handling, hard-coded secrets and unvalidated input.
- Check dependencies: do they exist, are they maintained, what licences do they use?
- Ask for a short explanation of design choices. A seller who understands the code can give one.
Design and media
- Zoom in: look for distorted text, odd hands, inconsistent logos and edges that do not join.
- Check usage rights for every asset, including fonts and stock elements.
- Test layouts at small screen sizes and with real content, not placeholder text.
Data and automations
- Run it on messy input, not just the clean example.
- Compare a sample of outputs with the source by hand.
- Ask what happens on failure, and who is told.
Rights and disclosure
Confirm the delivery matches the work-mode label on the order. If you were promised human-built work and the material reads or behaves like unreviewed AI output, raise it with the seller; the process is in the Dispute Resolution Policy. Rights in AI-generated material vary by country, so make sure the order says what you receive.
Sending feedback back
Be specific and point at the requirement. "Section 3 does not cover the refund case in the brief" is actionable. "Feels off" is not. Good feedback is also the strongest evidence if a milestone ends up in a dispute.