Hallucination describes output that is presented confidently but is not supported by any real source. In legal use the notorious form is the fabricated case citation, but subtler versions include misattributed quotations, invented record details, and overstated characterizations of what a source says.
It follows from how language models work: they generate probable text rather than retrieving verified facts.
Alternative Names:
AI Hallucination, Confabulation
Why it Matters?
Hallucination is the risk that has produced actual sanctions and the reason verification is non-negotiable. The dangerous cases are not the obvious fabrications but the plausible ones, such as a summary that slightly overstates what a witness said. Grounding output in supplied sources and requiring pinpoint citation reduce the rate substantially, but neither eliminates the need to check.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why do hallucinations sound so convincing?
Can hallucination be eliminated?
