The Fictional Example in an AI Demo Should Still Make Sense

A demonstration needs something to demonstrate. When an AI feature works with text, an invented paragraph can be enough. The sample does not need to be a real client message or an employee's situation to make the visible task understandable.

The writing challenge is to make the invented material coherent. A string of placeholders may hide the very relationship the audience needs to see. A short fictional scenario can preserve that relationship without pretending to be a real case.

TLDR

• Invent the whole example instead of disguising a real person's story.

• Give the sample a simple, internally consistent goal.

• Keep the input, the output and the interpretation distinct.

• Label the example near the place where it appears.

Choose an ordinary, harmless scenario

Imagine a fictional community reading group arranging a meeting. Its sample paragraph names two invented books and asks attendees to bring a notebook. That gives a summarization demonstration something concrete to work with.

The scenario is deliberately unimportant. It is not a substitute for evaluating a product on actual business requirements. It is a way to explain what a feature appears to do.

Keep the relationships intact

If the paragraph says the meeting is on Tuesday, the caption should not call it a Wednesday event. If two books are mentioned, the discussion should not refer to three. Small inconsistencies make the audience spend attention on the sample rather than the feature.

Google's audience guidance asks writers to supply the knowledge a reader needs. Here that means enough background to understand the sample task, with no unnecessary invented biography.

Label the result without overstating it

"Output from this fictional example" tells the audience what it is looking at. "Proof that the tool understands meetings" goes much further than the example supports.

A useful discussion describes the visible difference between input and output. It can ask what was included, omitted or rephrased without claiming the same result will occur for every document.

That boundary also makes the demo easier to reuse. A later reader can tell which sentences belong to the invented scenario and which explain the feature. The example remains an explanation rather than becoming an untraceable story about a real person.

Sources for the definitions and writing principles discussed here: Google, Technical Writing One: Audience, last updated March 28, 2025. The examples and suggested discussion formats are illustrative.

Frequently asked questions

Is changing a name enough to make a real story fictional?

This approach does not rely on that. Invent the scenario from the start rather than adapting a real person's circumstances.

Does a fictional sample validate the product?

No. It can explain the visible task, but suitability and performance are separate questions.

How elaborate should the scenario be?

Only as elaborate as needed to understand the demonstration. Extra characters and details can distract from the task.

A practical next step

Before the next AI demonstration, write a short invented sample with a clear goal. Label it as fictional where the audience will see it. Book a Decision-Clarity Call for help making technology work easier to explain.