What are AI hallucinations?

ChatGPT and the like have been known to make things up – and that can cause real damage

Photo collage of a hand with 9 fingers showing the "OK" sign.
AI systems produce 'hallucinations' when they don't know an answer to a question and 'fill in gaps' based on similar examples they have been given
(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images)

If American sci-fi novelist Philip K. Dick were alive today, he might have given his most famous work the title: "Do AIs Hallucinate Electric Sheep?"

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.

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Elizabeth Carr-Ellis is a freelance journalist and was previously the UK website's Production Editor. She has also held senior roles at The Scotsman, Sunday Herald and Hello!. As well as her writing, she is the creator and co-founder of the Pausitivity #KnowYourMenopause campaign and has appeared on national and international media discussing women's healthcare.