Intro to AI and Prompt Engineering Hallucinations Why Do Hallucinations Happen

Why Do Hallucinations Happen?

Hallucinations in Generati1ve AI occur when the model generates responses that seem plausible but are factually incorrect or made-up. This happens because Generati1ve AI creates answers by predicting patterns from its training data rather than verifying facts. Limitations in data, overgeneralization, and confident guesses contribute to these inaccuracies, leading the model to sometimes “fill in gaps” with information that appears real but isn’t based on verified knowledge.

Data Limitations
Generative AI is trained on a broad dataset, but it doesn’t have access to live data or real-time updates. If the model encounters gaps in its knowledge, it may generate plausible-sounding responses based on patterns, even when those responses are incorrect.
Overgeneralization
Generative AI sometimes overgeneralizes information based on patterns it has learned. This can lead to the AI creating details that don’t exist or misinterpreting context to fill in gaps.
Confident Guessing
The model may produce information that sounds authoritative, even when it’s making an educated guess. This can be misleading because it gives the illusion of accuracy.

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