When the Output Looks Right and Isn't

Two major consulting firms shipped AI-fabricated work to clients in the past year. PwC and Deloitte.

Neither caught it internally.

One report invented a product and then invented the governments using it.

These are firms with dedicated review processes, senior sign-off chains, and brand reputations worth billions.

Of course, the output looked finished to everyone who reviewed it.

The formatting for both reports made them look official. The details were “sourced,” and the recommendations were confidently relayed.

But inside? Hallucinated citations, fabricated academic references, fake quotes, and made-up footnotes.

It will happen to everyone, eventually

The same thing could easily happen to any of us if we aren’t careful.

As many of us rely on AI more and more to be our “co-pilot” or “co-worker,” it’s easy to get sucked in.

Two years ago, the debate was whether AI would ever produce meaningful analysis, interpret our data, or connect easily to our analytics tools.

That question has been answered emphatically in 2026. It can!

Now, the question we should be asking is, “How do you verify the results AI produces?”

Because anyone can generate a report now with a few connectors and a single prompt.

So, we need to implement checks that happen before anything is delivered to our clients or C-suite.

For example, Seer Interactive, a 175-person agency, makes AI show its SQL and its math before any result goes out the door.

Most of us don't have those formal checks in place. We look at a number and decide whether it feels right or needs investigation.

That worked fine when you are the only person who touched that number.

It’s not fine if you trust an AI model to be your eyes and ears.

Next Tuesday, I'm going live to show you the layer that's missing.

• Where the leaks come from.
• What checks to run before a client or executive ever sees a number.
• How to build it into the work you're already doing, across your whole measurement stack instead of one report at a time.

Tuesday, August 25, 12 PM ET. Live, with time for questions.

Free, and open to everyone.

Register for the session

To Your Measured Success!
–Jeff Sauer
CEO of MeasureU

P.S. The PwC and Deloitte details above are documented and verified.

Coming Up This Week at MeasureU

Mastermind (MeasureMastermind)

Wednesday, August 19, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT

Think of MeasureMastermind as your weekly power-up session! It's live, interactive group coaching where our incredible MeasureU Instructors and super-smart MeasureU Mentors dive deep into YOUR questions.

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MeasureLab: Paid Traffic

Thursday, August 20, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT

This MeasureLab is all about Paid Traffic! Whether you're wrestling with tracking across different ad platforms, trying to nail down attribution, want to get your UTMs in perfect order, or need help deciphering platform analytics (Google Ads, Meta Ads, etc.), this is your session.

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