≈ 3 min read
Explanation
What does “hallucination detected” mean?
Hallucinations are untruths or fantasies that are generated instead of actual facts. It is a limitation of virtually every AI system that works with large language models. If you see this label on a report, Claritalk is warning you that the result may not be reliable.
Why a label and not a filter?
Claritalk contains provisions to detect hallucinations. Because there is no completely foolproof method, Claritalk does not filter them out: this would also remove correct passages without you noticing.
Instead, a label appears on the report or data item in question. This way you know where to pay extra attention, and you retain your own judgment about what is correct.
The label appears on the report or data item in question, not on the entire conversation. Other parts of the same conversation may be perfectly fine.
When does it occur?
Claritalk can hallucinate when there is insufficient data available for the requested task. The three situations we see most often:
| Situation | What happens | What you can do about it |
|---|---|---|
| A report from a very short or non-existent transcript | There is not enough spoken text to build a report on | Check that the recording actually contains sound and that the correct microphone was used |
| A transcript in a space with a lot of background noise | The speech is lost in the background noise, causing the transcript to be garbled | Move the microphone closer to the speaker and reduce ambient noise |
| A question about a report where the answer is not in it | The answer is simply not present in the source | Ask the question about a conversation where the topic was actually discussed |
What you can do to avoid hallucinations
If you have received a report that contains hallucinations, be sure to check that your microphone settings are correct and that there were no major disruptive noises present.
- Check your microphone. Is the correct device set as the default, and does the level actually respond when you speak?
- Reduce ambient noise. Ventilation, an open office, or a speaker playing along, cost more quality than you might think.
- Is the microphone positioned correctly? In a meeting room, the position on the table makes a big difference, especially with multiple speakers.
- Update your audio drivers. An outdated driver delivers quiet or dropouts in recordings, resulting in a thin transcript. See Update audio drivers.
- Record the entire conversation. A recording that starts halfway through misses the context the model would need to frame the rest.
What do you do with a labeled report?
- Read the report alongside the transcript: it remains the source of truth.
- Correct what is not right. Your corrections carry through in what Claritalk remembers for you.
- Do not pass a labeled report on unread to a linked system or to a customer.
- If the recording was unusable, regenerating the report is pointless without better audio.
If you see the label regularly on conversations that went smoothly, email support@claritalk.com with a reference to the conversation. Then we can review the audio and the detection with you.