The Scouts
The Investigator profile with AI
You like to check the facts.
Cautious and curious, you like to dig deeper. AI works as your research assistant, and you check its work.
Sound like you? The test takes about 3 minutes.Interesting. What’s your source?
Who are the Investigators?
When a surprising figure is going round, the Investigator takes out their phone and looks for where it came from. They’re cautious about AI, like to explore and check what they read. They cross-check information and go back to the sources. Their checks can help the people around them spot mistakes.
In one line: You spot the mistake before it costs dearly.
What AI can do for an Investigator
Investigators like to understand before deciding. AI can save them time in their research, as long as they keep control of the checking. Three uses that suit them:
- 1Compare offers before a big purchase
- 2Summarise a long article, then check the key points
- 3Sort fact from fiction in a story that’s going round
Try this week: compare two offers with AI
Before a big purchase, the Investigator compares the offers and reads the warranty terms. AI can save them time gathering information while they keep control of the checks.
- Write down the three criteria that matter most to you, for example price, length of warranty and energy use.
- Copy the text of the product pages you’re choosing between and give it to the AI. Ask it to rely only on the documents you provide and to point out any missing information. Then check its table against those documents.
- Ask for a comparison table on your criteria, then a list of the information missing from the product pages.
- Check the price and warranty terms on the seller’s website before buying.
Here are the descriptions of two products I’m hesitating between: [product page text]. Compare them in a table using these criteria: [criteria]. Then tell me what information is missing to make a good choice.
Investigator strengths
- RigourThey check the key passages of an AI answer and read the small print on an offer that looks too good. They do it because they care about getting things right.
- InstinctThey sense when something is off, often before they can say why. A figure that’s too round or a source that’s too vague is enough to put them on the trail.
- PerseveranceWhere others stop at the first answer, they rephrase and compare until they find what was missing.
Investigators and AI
- How you approach AICautious
- How you get things doneExplorer
- How you handle informationVerifier
The Investigator approaches AI with caution. Their checking habits can help them use it thoughtfully. Because they don’t take its word for it, they ask precise questions and ask for its sources. They use it as a research assistant and check its work.
These are the profile’s tendencies. The test shows where you sit on each dimension and whether a neighbouring profile shades your result.
Investigators with friends and family
People ask their opinion before sharing a story or signing a contract. They know the Investigator will take the time to check and will tell them what they found, even if it’s less exciting than hoped.
They know a well-put doubt convinces people better than a long lecture, and they say it with humour. Even their most impatient friends end up asking for their view.
Investigators at work
At work, they spot the wrong figure in a report or the AI error nobody else had noticed. They save the team from costly mistakes without any fuss.
They work well with colleagues who can turn their checks into shared habits. The team can then move fast on reliable information.
The Investigator’s challenge
Investigators like to be sure before they speak. They sometimes keep a doubt to themselves until they have all the evidence, when sharing it earlier would have saved someone a misstep. They can share their doubts as points to check, without treating them as established facts. The test gives them precise tips for checking AI’s answers.
A profile that complements the Investigator: the Accelerator
AcceleratorAn Accelerator turns your checks into good habits.The Accelerator is their opposite on all three dimensions. They look to save time while the Investigator prefers to dig. They turn the Investigator’s checks into simple habits, and the Investigator stops them repeating a mistake.
Your Accelerator may be the person who says “right, shall we get going?”. They help you move from investigating to acting.
Discover the Accelerator profile →Frequently asked questions
What is the Investigator AI profile?
The Investigator is one of the 8 profiles in the HumanEmbers test. They are cautious about AI, an explorer in how they get things done and a verifier with information. They cross-check information and use AI as a research assistant whose work they check.
What are the Investigator’s strengths?
Rigour, instinct and perseverance. They check what matters and sense when something is off. They see their research through.
Which profile is complementary to the Investigator?
The Accelerator, their opposite on all three dimensions. The Accelerator turns their checks into simple habits, and the Investigator stops the Accelerator repeating a mistake.
How do I know if I’m an Investigator?
If you look for where information comes from before believing it and like to dig into a subject, you may well be. The test helps you see how far this profile sounds like you. It has 21 questions, takes about 3 minutes and needs no account.
Are you an Investigator?
This portrait describes tendencies. An Investigator can have a touch of Experimenter, more enthusiastic, of Guardian, more methodical, or of Observer, more trusting.
The test helps you see how far this profile sounds like you and whether a touch shades your result. It takes about 3 minutes.
Your instinct protects you from traps.
Discover five tips for checking AI’s answers, from your very next search.
The free test gives you your profile and a first tip. Access to all five tips, including that first one, depends on sharing your profile: a share button, copying the link or your phone’s share menu is enough.
Access the free test — private betaDiscover your ember
21 questions, about 3 minutes, no account to create. Access is currently limited to beta testers with a key.
Access the free test — private beta