Doha, Qatar: Imagine asking AI to explain a recent breakthrough in medicine, only to have it confidently cite a scientific study that never existed.
It may sound like deception, but it’s actually a well-known phenomenon in the world of artificial intelligence, a phenomenon called AI hallucination.
Associate Professor in Residence in the Communication Program at Northwestern University in Qatar, Dr. Wajdi Zaghouani explains that AI hallucinations occur when large language models (LLMs) generate information that sounds true, but is false or made up.
“When we say AI ‘hallucinates,’ we mean it generates information that sounds convincing but is actually false or made up,” Dr. Zaghouani told The Peninsula. “The AI isn’t lying on purpose, it genuinely doesn’t know the difference between real and fake information it creates.”
To reduce the chances of these hallucinations, researchers are developing a variety of tools and techniques. These include verification systems that cross-check AI outputs against trusted databases, confidence scoring that allows AI to admit uncertainty, and even multi-AI models that verify each other’s responses — much like journalists confirming facts with multiple sources.
One promising approach is connecting AI directly to real-time, verified information sources, helping ground their responses in actual data.
“We’re working on several approaches. There are verification systems that cross check AI outputs against reliable databases, like having a fact checker working alongside a journalist. We’re developing confidence scoring so AI can say “I’m not sure about this” rather than guessing confidently,” said Dr. Zaghouani.
“We’re also working on connecting AI to real time, verified information sources. In fact, I’m leading the development of a tool called MARSAD, which is funded by the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council and is part of a cluster project on the future of Digital Citizenship in Qatar. MARSAD will be a live social media observatory to visualise and analyse real time social media data across the MENA region. One of its key features will be fact checking AI generated content to help reduce misinformation,” he added.
These efforts are crucial because hallucinations aren’t just random errors but they’re a direct result of how these AI systems work. LLMs are trained on massive amounts of text and learn by identifying patterns in language, not by understanding content the way humans do.
“They’re very good at predicting what words should come next based on patterns, but they don’t have real knowledge about the world,” Dr. Zaghouani said. “The creative ability that lets AI write poetry or solve problems creatively is the same mechanism that can create false information.” The consequences can range from small factual slip-ups to entirely invented studies, legal cases, or historical events. These hallucinations are especially common — and dangerous — in technical fields like medicine, law, and scientific research, where accuracy is critical.
“For example, an AI might confidently state that ‘Medication X is FDA approved for treating condition Y’ when it’s not,” Dr. Zaghouani said.
As AI continues to enter classrooms, newsrooms, courtrooms, and hospitals, experts agree that responsible use depends on human judgment and clear, careful prompting.
“AI should be viewed as a powerful tool that needs human judgment, not a replacement for human expertise. Think of it like spell checker which is helpful, but you still need to have a final manual check to ensure no typos are left,” said Dr. Zaghouani.
He cautioned against ethical risks of relying too heavily on AI without verification.
“The risks are quite serious,” he said. “In education, students might learn incorrect historical facts, and in healthcare, people might make dangerous decisions based on false AI generated medical advice.” According to Dr. Zaghouani, the key is to use AI as a starting point for research and thinking, not as the final word. “AI is a powerful tool, but like any tool, it needs to be used wisely and with appropriate caution,” he said.
