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Essentially, hallucinations are when a chatbot generates information that sounds plausible but is actuallyentirely fabricated.
Failing to admit uncertainty
Not unlike humans, AI chatbots struggle to admit “I don’t know.”
Mostchatbotsare programmed to provide definitive answers, even when they lack sufficient information.
If they suspect the chatbot is wrong, they can rephrase their prompt or ask additional questions.
Personally, Ive noticed that either using the search tool or deep research can help eliminate ambiguity.
If you have a complex query, break it down.
Being susceptible to manipulation and misinformation
Chatbots can be exploited to spread misinformation or manipulated to produce harmful content.
Bias and fairness issues
Another significant challenge faced by chatbots is bias.
Using reputable chatbots that cite sources can also help to eliminate bias.
This lack of generalization can lead to responses that are either irrelevant or overly simplistic.
For instance, add what problem you are trying to solve or the situation.
Specification gaming
Finally, specification gaming is a critical error that chatbots make.
This mistake takes place if the AI system exploits loopholes in its objective functions or instructions.
You may see this when chatting with customer satisfaction bots.
Final thoughts
It’s clear that chatbots aren’t perfect.
While they continue to evolve, developers are feverishly working to address these common mistakes.
