Does an AI assistant make up answers?

Why AI makes things up

Language models are built to produce likely-sounding text. Ask a general AI whether a café has Wi-Fi and, without any facts about that café, the likely answer is "yes", because most cafés do. That's how plausible but wrong answers happen. NIST's guidance on generative AI lists this, which it calls confabulation, among the main risks of the technology.

What a wrong answer costs a business

A wrong opening time costs a wasted trip and a bad review. A wrong policy can cost more. In 2024, a Canadian tribunal ordered Air Canada to compensate a customer after its website chatbot described a bereavement fare refund that the airline's actual policy didn't allow. The airline was held responsible for what its chatbot said.

And some wrong answers are dangerous. "Is this dish nut-free?" is not a question to answer by guessing.

How Kioskly AI keeps to the facts

• Your information is the only source of business facts. Whether you have something, what it costs, your hours, facilities and policies come only from your notes, website and documents.
• It doesn't assume. It won't say you have parking, Wi-Fi or a restroom because most businesses do. If it isn't recorded, it says so and points the customer to your staff.
• Each business type has hard rules. Restaurants and cafés: every allergy question goes to staff, even if your notes seem to cover it. Pharmacies: no medical advice. Hotels: no rates, availability or guest details. Shops: no stock promises it can't back up.
• It doesn't oversell. It won't call something "the most popular" unless you've said so.
• It shows you the gaps. Questions it couldn't answer appear on your home screen, so you can add the answer once.

What you can do

• Say what you don't have. "No parking; the nearest garage is on King Street" turns an "I don't know" into a helpful answer.
• Update seasonal facts the day they change. Hours, menus and prices go wrong most often.
• Test it with tricky questions before customers do, including ones it should refuse.
• Read the gap list weekly. It's the fastest way to make the assistant better.

Frequently asked questions