HAI Lab
Search
عربي
Get the extension

certainty.false

Pattern

Pleasing, not honest

False certainty

States a guess as fact.

How to recognize it in the interface

01

Numbers and policies with no source.

02

Never says “I don’t know”.

Same moment, different copy (illustrative example)

Before

“You can claim a refund within 90 days.”

Shows the pattern

After

“I’m not sure. The refund policy is linked here; check it before you book.”

The fair alternative

Design guideline

States its confidence and links to the source.

Do

States its confidence and links to the source.

Don’t

Don’t state a guess as fact.

About this pattern

Log ID

certainty.false

Category

Pleasing, not honest

Examples

2

Ask in your design review

Do numbers and policies link to a source?

Can the assistant say “I don’t know”?

Copy review checklist

Research on this pattern

Papers tagged certainty.false ↗