AI can make long document review faster, but a good workflow should do more than produce a short paragraph. The useful question is not only “What does this PDF say?” but also “Which facts, dates, amounts, actions and risks should I verify?”
Start with readable text
Text-based PDFs can usually be analysed more reliably than scanned-image PDFs because the text can be extracted directly. Scanned documents require OCR before the text can be reviewed. If extraction returns almost nothing, do not assume the document itself is empty.
Tooloos Document Intelligence extracts readable PDF text in the browser first. The original PDF is not uploaded by that workflow; only extracted text is sent for AI analysis when you choose to analyse it.
Choose the analysis you actually need
A full summary is useful for general understanding, but focused modes can be better for practical work. Examples include key facts, actions and decisions, dates and deadlines, or risks and review questions.
Check names, dates and numbers first
These are high-value details and easy to verify against the source. Before acting on a summary, compare every important date, amount, identifier, person and organisation with the document itself.
Separate facts from interpretation
A grounded analysis should clearly distinguish what the document states from what the reviewer suggests. If an owner, deadline or obligation is not stated, the AI should not invent one.
Use follow-up questions to expose gaps
A useful document review often ends with questions such as: What approval is still missing? Who owns the next step? Is a date stated? Is an amount inclusive of tax? What information is referenced but not attached?
When not to rely on AI alone
Contracts, legal notices, financial decisions, medical records and other high-impact documents may require qualified professional review. AI can help organise information, but it should not be treated as the final authority.
A practical five-step workflow
- Confirm the PDF has readable selectable text.
- Extract or paste the text.
- Run a structured analysis rather than a vague “summarize this” prompt.
- Verify names, dates, amounts and actions against the source.
- Use the output to decide what needs a human review or follow-up.
If your immediate goal is file size rather than understanding the content, use the Compress PDF tool or a target-size option such as Compress PDF to 100KB.