What is an AI hallucination and why does AI make things up?

An AI hallucination is when an AI system confidently generates false information or made-up facts. It happens because AI systems are trained to predict the next word based on patterns — not to verify facts. Sometimes those patterns lead to plausible-sounding but completely false information.

AI hallucination is the term for when an AI system generates information that sounds correct but is actually false or made-up. The AI isn't trying to trick you — it doesn't know the difference between fact and fiction. It just knows that certain words usually follow other words based on its training. So it might confidently describe a fake research paper or invent a historical fact because those words fit the pattern of how text usually flows.