Hinton: AI 'Hallucinations' Should Be Called 'Confabulations'
r0ck3t23 · x · 2026-07-06
Geoffrey Hinton argues that erroneous AI outputs should not be called "hallucinations" but rather "confabulations." He notes that the human brain does not store memories like a filing cabinet or computer memory, but reconstructs them on demand. The author comments that the tech industry's view of AI confidently giving wrong answers as a bug to be fixed actually measures intelligence by a "filing cabinet" standard, revealing a misunderstanding of its true nature. Hinton dismantles critics' arguments with a single word—because their brains are also confabulating.
More from AGI Musings
- DeepMind alignment researcher signs open letter urging coordinated AI slowdown — vkrakovna · 2026-09-11
- WIRED: recursive self-improvement and rogue agent swarms spook AI researchers — nordicinst · 2026-09-11
- People Neglect Human Agency Both Ways: Exaggerated Doom and Complacent Optimism — jankulveit · 2026-09-11
- Garrison Lovely's 'Obsolete' on AI Replacing Labor Lands September 2026 with Heavyweight Blurbs — GarrisonLovely · 2026-09-11
- AI Doom Skeptics Hit Back: EA-Driven Apocalypse Talk Doesn't Reflect Most Top-Tier Researchers — GarrisonLovely · 2026-09-11
- Over 1,000 AI Policy Initiatives Launched in 70+ Countries, but the Governance Gap Widens — CurieuxExplorer · 2026-09-11