AI hallucination
An AI hallucination is a generated statement that is false or unsupported by the relevant evidence, even when it sounds confident. It can involve invented businesses, incorrect opening hours or a source that does not support the claim. Retrieval and citations can help with verification, but their presence does not make every sentence correct.
Why it matters for a business
A customer may act on an incorrect description of your business. Owners should distinguish a measurable mention from an accurate recommendation. A positive sounding answer can still direct someone to the wrong location or misstate the service you offer.
Example and evidence
An illustrative assistant answer says a shop opens on Sunday when its current official page says it is closed. Check the shop’s page and the cited source before classifying the cause: a stale listing, a misread page and an invented detail require different corrections.
What to do next
Verify consequential facts against an authoritative source. Record the exact incorrect sentence and its date. Correct your own public information and any listing you control. Repeat the question after changes, while allowing for answer variation and source refresh delays.
Common question
Related terms
Sources and method
Sources checked on 2026-10-09. Examples marked illustrative are not measured business results.
Check your own business in AI answers
Run the free scan to see which assistants name your business and which facts need attention. A scan is a sample, not a promise of future recommendations.