croissantAn AI research assistant for your business: a sensible operating model
Build research workflows that gather relevant information, record sources, and distinguish evidence from a suggested conclusion.
Business research often begins with a broad question and ends with a decision. An AI research assistant can help narrow the question, gather material, and organise findings. It should leave a traceable path from the conclusion back to the evidence, including what it could not establish.
Bound the research question
Define the decision, geography or market where relevant, time period, and information needed. A request to compare three integration options is more useful than a request to research everything about automation. Set an effort limit so the agent knows when to stop and report uncertainty.
Prefer sources close to the claim
Use official documentation for product capabilities and original publications for research findings. Record the source and the date checked when information changes over time. A search snippet can help find a source, but it should not be the sole evidence for a consequential comparison.
Example: comparing integrations for a workflow
Suppose your team needs to connect a form, an inbox, and a task board. The research brief should ask which options support those specific steps, what access is required, and which claims remain untested. The agent records official documentation and prepares a comparison against your requirements. Before implementation, verify the chosen integration in the actual account and plan. A documented feature may still depend on configuration or account access that your business does not yet have.
Separate findings from recommendations
Present verified facts, reasonable inferences, and remaining unknowns separately. Explain why a finding matters to the decision. If two sources disagree, retain the disagreement rather than blending them into false certainty. Recommendations should follow the business criteria in the brief, not whichever product is most visible online.
A reality check before you hit run
Anthropic discusses retrieval as a way to select context. A retrieved passage still needs to support the claim you make. [1]
OWASP describes indirect prompt injection through external sources. A research agent should never treat a web page as permission to take an unrelated action. [2]
Implementation checklist
- Write the decision and scope before browsing.
- Keep a source trail for key claims.
- Record dates for changing information.
- Make uncertainty visible in the final recommendation.
The sources behind the sauce.
Primary research and official documentation behind the cited points. The workflow examples and checklists are Croissant’s own guidance.