"What would you call an assistant who invented answers if they didn't know something? Most people would call them "Fired." Despite that, we don't mind when AI does it. We expect it to always have an answer, but we need AI that says, "I don't know." That helps you trust the results, use the tool more effectively and avoid wasting time on hallucinations or overconfident guesses."
"Ask for candor upfront: Use a prompt like: "If you don't know something, say so and explain why." Challenge vague responses: When answers feel fuzzy, follow up with: "Are you certain about this, or are you guessing?" Dig deeper: Key questions to ask when vetting AI tools for marketing Request the reasoning: If ChatGPT says "I don't know," it can also explain whether that's due to"
People expect AI to always produce answers, but AI that admits uncertainty and says "I don't know" increases trust and prevents wasted effort on hallucinations. Simple prompting habits improve candid responses: ask for candor upfront, challenge vague answers, request the underlying reasoning, and reward honest refusals. A session-level instruction to only respond when verifiable can steer behavior, though ChatGPT does not retain that instruction across sessions. Generative platforms often prioritize helpfulness and safety over accuracy, causing models to fabricate answers; Google Gemini is noted as an exception that can return "I don't know."
Read at MarTech
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