False information generated from an AI system. In 2023, AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Bard/Gemini took the world by storm. However, on occasion, they do create phony results, which are called "hallucinations." Sometimes, AI hallucinations are obvious, but they may not be so apparent if the subject is not well understood by the user. See
generative AI,
AI emergent properties,
ChatGPT and
Gemini chatbot.
Hallucination vs. Slop
An AI hallucination is an outright falsehood, whereas AI slop is just poor quality output or silliness, the latter often created to get more clicks and revenue on social media. See
AI slop.
Why Are Mistakes Called Hallucinations?
Because "AI error" or "AI mistake" sound ordinary. In the tech world, we love to make up new terms, and considering AI systems appear to actually think, hallucinations sound like minds that went berserk.