Generative AI systems such as ChatGPT and Dall-E have gained a reputation for giving out information that appears plausible but is actually completely false — a phenomenon researchers call an AI hallucination. This is "both a strength and a weakness," said Nature. While it fuels their "celebrated" inventiveness, it also leads them to "sometimes blur truth and fiction." 

What are AI hallucinations? 
The type of hallucination AIs generate depends on the system. Large language models like ChatGPT are "sophisticated pattern predictors," said TechRadar, generating text by making predictions based on what word statistically follows the previous one.

Hallucinations occur when the system isn't sure about a question or answer and fills in the gaps based on similar examples it has been given. "Rather than admitting uncertainty, many AI tools default to producing an answer, whether it's right or not." 

What happens when AI is wrong? 
Incorrect answers can have serious consequences. In 2023, attorney Steven Schwartz was fined after using ChatGPT to help him write a legal brief to submit in court. But instead of finding legal precedents that would help his argument, the AI made up some cases and misidentified others. 

ChatGPT's hallucinations may also spell trouble for its maker, OpenAI. Last month, Norwegian Arve Hjalmar Holmen filed a complaint against the company after the chatbot falsely claimed he killed two of his children. OpenAI violated data accuracy rules by "knowingly allowing ChatGPT to produce defamatory results," said digital rights group Noyb, acting on Holmen's behalf. 

Can you stop AI hallucinations? 
Hallucinations are key to how large language models work, which could make it impossible to eliminate them completely. Companies should be able to reduce them, though. They can check for inaccuracies in the original material and ensure the AI has access to more up-to-date external information. 

Another option is automated reasoning to fact-check answers straight away — a system Amazon introduced to its generative AI offerings in December. Rather than guessing an answer, automated reasoning uses logic and problem-solving techniques to check its validity. 

Until a solution is found, hallucinations will remain an "inherent challenge" for large language models, said TechRadar. So "fact-check everything."

The labor market was much healthier than expected in March, but some economic analysts are worried that the cascading effect of President Donald Trump's blanket tariffs could push hiring in the other direction. While the market added 228,000 jobs last month — far higher than the monthly average of 158,000 jobs over the past year — financial experts are expressing skepticism that this job boom is here to stay. 

'Ill-positioned' labor market 
The job market has "proved surprisingly resilient," even as the economy has been "buffeted by rapid inflation, high interest rates and political instability," said Ben Casselman and Colby Smith at The New York Times. But Trump's tariffs "could be enough to shatter what had arguably been the economy's final source of support" in the market.

"The saying 'past performance is no guarantee of future results' could apply to this jobs report," said Stephanie Hughes at Marketplace. Rising prices due to tariffs will lead employers to pull back on hiring and could eventually spark layoffs. If the economy "isn't growing as fast" or at all, "you don't need as many workers," Sarah House, an economist at Wells Fargo, said to the Times.

The labor market is "ill-positioned to withstand new shocks from elevated uncertainty, increased tariff costs, cuts to government spending and employment, and weakening business and consumer sentiment," said Veronica Clark, an economist at Citigroup, to Reuters. Plus, more people "faced long bouts of joblessness though the median duration of unemployment has eased, and multiple job holders continued to rise," Lucia Mutikani said at Reuters.

Job creation?
Not every sector is hit equally, as hiring has "remained stable in some industries, including health care and technology," Debra Boggs, the CEO of research firm D&S Executive Career Management, said to CNBC. The Trump administration has "argued that while tariffs may drive up prices, they will also help fuel job creation stateside, particularly across manufacturing," said Pavithra Mohan at Fast Company. 

But the tariffs "by themselves don't guarantee that outcome," said Tobias Burns at The Hill. They could be a "component of a broader industrial strategy if policies favorable to workers are advanced as well, such as those supporting higher wages and limiting the adoption of job-replacing automation." However, there's "little evidence of a broader worker-protection agenda being advanced by the Trump administration so far."