Hallucinations, hallucinations, hallucinations… the polysemy of this word is very interesting, because depending on the context, it can refer to a sensational experience or a terrifying experience. Of course, this does not happen with all its derivatives. For example, if we say that something is hallucinatory, the meaning tends to be quite clear even without context, and the same can be said of hallucinations in the singular, which will rarely have a meaning other than the one we tend to use. take for granted.

And what does the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy tell us? These are the two definitions he gives us of hallucinations:

1. Hallucinations or hallucinations.
2. A subjective perception that is not preceded by an impression on the senses.

Which of course leads us to look at the definition of hallucination:

1. Obfuscate, mislead, or deceive by passing off one thing as another.
2. To surprise, to amaze, to dazzle.
3. Fantasize, imagine something vividly. I was hallucinating that I was traveling through space.
4. Suffer from hallucinations.
5. Get lost, wander around.

So we come again to the point I originally pointed out, that is, the possibility of interpreting hallucinations as experiencing a surprising sensation, whether real or fictitious, or as suffering from hallucinations, that is, suffering from a subjective feeling. that It is not preceded by an impression on the senses. And to sharpen the shot a bit more, Let us now turn to the distinction that MedilinePlus makes between hallucinations and delirium:

«Delusions are false beliefs, such as thinking that someone is against you or that the TV is sending you secret messages. Hallucinations are false perceptions, such as hearing, seeing or feeling something that is not there.»

In all cases, as the common denominator, we find ourselves describing something that differs significantly from realitysomething exceptional (for better or for worse, that’s irrelevant in this context), something like the supposedly correct answer, but which is completely far from reality.

It’s quite likely that at this point you’re wondering what the hell this has to do with MuyComputer, am I hallucinating? No, actually there is an explanation, and as we can read in Ars Technica, The Board of Trustees of Cambridge Dictionary has chosen “hallucination” as the word of the year for 2023. And why did they choose this word? Well, due to a technology issue that we talked about in depth with you a few months ago, hallucinations of generative models.

So if we look up the meaning of hallucination in what is probably the main reference dictionary of the English language, we find a new meaning:

«When an artificial intelligence (= a computer system that has some of the properties that a human brain has, such as the ability to produce language in a way that appears human) hallucinates, it produces false information.»

What can we translate as

«When an artificial intelligence (= a computer system that has some of the properties that a human brain has, such as the ability to produce language in a way that appears human) hallucinates, it produces false information.»

Artificial intelligence hallucinations are very different from those experienced by a human beingbut it’s undoubtedly a tremendously powerful analogy (as is the very concept of artificial intelligence, actually) that makes it easier for ordinary mortals to identify technologies that might otherwise be much stranger.