§Definition AI Visibility

Hallucination

When an AI model states something false or fabricated with apparent confidence, as if it were fact.

ID
SS-DF-103
Confidence
Established · 80
Evidence
Established
Updated
2026-07-08

Definition

When an AI model states something false or fabricated with apparent confidence, as if it were fact.

Because a language model generates plausible text rather than retrieving verified facts, it can invent details - wrong prices, fake features, non-existent sources - that read as authoritative. For brands this is a real risk: an engine may misdescribe your product or attribute a competitor's claim to you. Grounding, strong corroborated signals across the web and clear canonical statements on your own pages all reduce the chance an engine hallucinates about your brand, which is a core defensive goal of AI visibility work.

Recommended next steps

    See the wider capability AI Visibility Optimisation Capability