AI Glossary
What is Hallucination?
When an AI tool gives information that sounds confident and plausible but is false or made up, such as a fake source, a wrong number or a rule that does not exist.
AI language models write what a good answer is likely to look like. Usually that matches the truth, but when the model does not know something, it may fill the gap with invented details, in the same confident tone.
Common examples:
- References, links or quotes that do not exist
- Slightly wrong totals or percentages
- Outdated tax rates, deadlines or rules presented as current
- Software menus or features that your version does not have
- Made-up details about specific people or small companies
How to protect yourself: recalculate numbers, open every source, check rules on official websites, give the AI the real document to work from, and add "If you are not sure, say so" to your prompts.
Read more: AI Hallucination: 5 Common Examples and How to Catch Them and the lesson Fact-Checking AI.