confabulation
kun-fab-yuh-LAY-shun
Definition
In the context of artificial intelligence, this refers to a system generating false or nonsensical information that it presents as fact, often due to gaps in training data or hallucinations in reasoning.
Etymology
The word originates from the Latin 'confabulari,' meaning 'to converse' or 'to talk together.' In modern English, it evolved from the sense of informal chatting to its psychological and technical sense of filling in memory gaps with fabricated information.
In the news
The article uses 'confabulations' to describe specific types of erroneous outputs from AI that need to be addressed by third-party testing and sandbox methodologies. It highlights these errors as a key area where AI assurance is needed to maintain reliable outcomes.
New tools for mapping a fragmented AI governance landscape
Read the full article ↗Brookings