Story
When the AI's text is nearly right, I want to fix it by hand and have the AI respect my fix, with its own version 1 tap away, so I stay the author without losing the AI's help.
Marta, a school office manager in Kraków, writing the parents' newsletter on her laptop.
- 01 Setting
Marta asks for a note about sports day.
- 02 Trigger
The date is wrong - it moved to Thursday. She clicks it and types the right one.
- 03 Without it
She asks the AI to add a line about lunch. The date quietly goes back to Friday. 200 parents get the wrong day.
- 04 With it
Her change is marked as hers. The AI adds lunch and says it kept her date.
- 05 Outcome
The note goes out with the right date. The AI version is still 1 tap away.
Live demo
This demo follows a script, so it plays the same every time - there is no real AI behind it. Change a setting to see the same moment play out differently.
What happens, step by step
| State | The person sees | The AI is | When | Screen reader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The AI's note streams in (arrives word by word), with "Click to edit". | Writes. | 0-2 s | “Generating a response” |
| 2 | She types over the date, in place, with a caret (the blinking text cursor). | Idle. | on click | - |
| 3 | Her change is underlined. "1 edit by you" and "Revert to AI version" sit under the text. | Idle. | when she stops typing | “1 edit saved” |
| 4 | "Add a line about lunch". | Starts. | - | - |
| 5 | The new line writes in. Her date stays as she wrote it. | Writes around her edit. | - | “Generating a response” |
| 6 | If she changes her mind, "Revert to AI version" brings the AI's words back. | Idle. | on tap | - |
| 7 | "Your edit is kept" and "I kept your date change" - or "AI version restored · Undo". | Idle. | when done | “Response complete, or AI version restored” |
On each device
- phone
- Tap a sentence to edit it in place, with the keyboard up. "Revert to AI version" sits under the text, not in a menu.
- tablet
- As on the phone. With a keyboard attached, undo works from the keyboard too.
- desktop
- Click anywhere to type. Edited parts are marked; hover or focus on 1 shows "Edited by you" and Revert for that part.
When to use it
- The AI's text is nearly right, and a small fix is faster by hand.
- The text belongs to the person - it goes out in their name.
- The AI will keep working on the same text after the person edits it.
- The whole answer is wrong. Ask again. Use Regenerate, edit and branches instead.
- The change is about the whole text - shorter, more formal. Use Adjust length and tone instead.
- People need every version of a long document, not only the AI's and theirs. Use Version history and checkpoints instead.
The parts of the pattern
- AHer editMarked with an underline, so she and the AI both know it is hers.
- BEdit count"1 edit by you" - and later, "Your edit is kept".
- CRevert to AI versionBrings back the AI's words for that part. 1 tap, with Undo after it.
- DClick to editSays the text is editable in place. No copy and paste to another app.
Do and Avoid
Sports day is on Thursday 11 June… Lunch is a picnic…
I kept your date change.
Sports day is on Friday 12 June… Lunch is a picnic…
Added a line about lunch.
Sports day is on Thursday 11 June…
1 edit by you · ↺ Revert to AI version
Sports day is on Thursday 11 June…
To get the AI’s text back, ask again.
Writing and accessibility
- Mark the person's edits in words: "1 edit by you".
- When the AI changes edited text, say what it kept: "I kept your date change."
- Name the way back exactly: "Revert to AI version", then offer "Undo".
- The editable text is a real text field with a name, so screen readers say it can be edited.
- Mark edited parts with more than colour: an underline, and "edited by you" for screen readers.
- "Revert to AI version" is a real button. After it, announce "AI version restored" and keep focus on the text.
- Undo works from the keyboard, as in any text field.
Seen in real products
- ChatGPT canvasWeb, Windows and macOS · Nov 2026People click into the canvas and type to edit. Arrows in the top toolbar move between versions, an older one can be restored, and "Show changes" shows what was added and removed.OpenAI Help: Canvas ↗
- CursorDesktop code editor · Oct 2026The agent's edits make checkpoints automatically. "Restore Checkpoint" on an earlier request takes the code back. Checkpoints are kept apart from Git.Cursor Docs: Checkpoints ↗
Each example comes from the product’s help pages, release notes or teardowns, with the month it was checked. Products change every month - tell us when 1 is out of date.
Check yourself
Seen this pattern done better, or a product that changed? Press Suggest next to any heading, or tell us about the whole page.