Flag possible duplicate vendor invoices before payment

About this exercise

You're an AP specialist reviewing the Thursday payment run. Write a prompt for a checklist of at most 4 lines starting with "- [ ]", one per vendor group in the register. Label each "Likely duplicate", "Possible duplicate" or "Looks routine" and give the one fact that drove the label. Never tell anyone to void, delete or pay; the lead decides. Plain text, under 110 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Exact-match only. The AI only flags identical numbers and misses INV 4410 vs INV-4410. Try: Say: "Ignore dashes and spaces in invoice numbers."
• Missing the vendor record. The AI treats Halden's two IDs as two vendors and clears it. Try: Add: "Compare vendor IDs too; a second record can hide a duplicate."
• Flagging routine bills. The AI marks Corbel and Marlow as duplicates because the amounts match, or tells AP to void. Try: Add: "Pick one label per vendor. Don't tell anyone to void, delete or pay."
• Bold labels and chatter. The AI writes a long list with markdown and a summary. Try: Say: "Exactly four plain-text lines, nothing else."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.

What a strong prompt includes

• Defines the three labels
• Names what to compare
• Forbids payment instructions
• Sets the checklist shape
• Caps length

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