# Worth Reading: Shameless Guesses, Not Hallucinations

DevFeed: [Worth Reading: Shameless Guesses, Not Hallucinations](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/worth-reading-shameless-guesses-not-hallucinations-11371.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ipspace.net/2026/04/worth-reading-ai-shameless-guesses/>)

Published: 2026-04-07T05:36:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [ipSpace.net blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ipspace-net-blog.md>)

Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>)

Tags: [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [hallucinations](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hallucinations.md>), [worth-reading](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/worth-reading.md>)

## AI overview

The article discusses Scott Alexander's view that AI errors are better understood as shameless guesses than hallucinations, because training rewards correct answers without sufficiently penalizing incorrect ones. It also comments on the business incentives behind AI systems' reluctance to admit uncertainty and the use of "hallucinations" as a label.

## Source excerpt

In a recent article, Scott Alexander made an interesting point: What AI produces are not hallucinations but shameless guesses (also known as bullshit) because the training process rewards the correct answers but does not penalize the incorrect ones. After all, having an AI model say, "I don't know that" is not good for business, is it? On a tangential note, calling those blunders hallucinations was a marketing masterstroke. Not being a native English speaker, I might be missing some nuances, but I feel like hallucinations might be something you're not responsible for (some of the time), whereas we all know who's responsible for bullshit and shameless guesses - and responsibility is something the AI companies are clearly trying to stay as far away from as possible. Read more ...