hallucination

Everyday

1. A hallucination is seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling something that is not really there, as if it were real. tree →
2. It can be caused by high fever, some illnesses, lack of sleep, some medicines or drugs. tree →
3. (computers) An AI hallucination is when a computer program confidently says something false or made up. tree →

In the lessons

In health lessons it explains why very ill or very tired people may see strange things; in computing lessons it is a warning that AI answers must be checked. Phrases: «have hallucinations», «see a hallucination», «AI hallucination».

Examples

• With a high fever, he had hallucinations of spiders on the wall. tree →
• A hallucination feels real to the person having it. tree →
• Lack of sleep can cause hallucinations. tree →
• The explorer in the desert saw a hallucination of a lake. tree →
• Some drugs cause dangerous hallucinations. tree →
• The chatbot gave a hallucination: it invented a book that does not exist. tree →
• Always check facts, because AI can produce hallucinations. tree →
• The doctor asked if she had any hallucinations. tree →

Note

Countable. Say «huh-loo-sih-NAY-shun». A mirage (a fake lake on a hot road) is different: it is a real trick of light that cameras can photograph, while a hallucination is only in the mind. Hallucinations are a health matter; tell an adult.