Reference · Glossary
Hallucination
When an AI states something **false but sounds confident** — invented citations, wrong dates, fake product specs.
When to use
As a warning label: "verify anything that matters" after using chatbots for research, quotes, or facts.
When not to
Not every mistake is a hallucination — sometimes the model misread your prompt or lacks context.
Example
"According to Smith et al. 2019…" when no such paper exists. Always check sources for names, numbers, and links.