Is anyone interested in my latest foray into AI-land?
I did it, so you don’t have to. Be forewarned.
It's a long one; you might want to grab your tea or drink of choice and embark on a trip with me.
Here goes.

me: Please help me find a short list of Dutch books (or translated into Dutch) suitable for teenagers, from 15 upwards, with a bit of mystery or fantasy, or maybe some History, and no more than 250 pages.

AI: Here is a list of 8 titles with details about authors ... Genre: ... Summary: ... Why it is suitable: ... and oh yes, Where to find them: These books are available through platforms such as Bol.com, *Donner.nl or your local library (for example, through the children's library). They offer exciting stories that perfectly match the interests of teenagers!

me: ...thanks, sounds great, let's have a look at Bol.com...hum...weird... not there... I kind of recognise some of the names, but not the titles, though some look like titles from other books/authors I know... Let see the authors' biblio. Oh, nothing there either.

me to the AI: Are you sure these books exist? Can you give me their ISBN or their publication date and publisher, please?

AI: It seems that some of the books I mentioned earlier do not exist or do not match the descriptions. Here are 5 verified books that do exist and may be suitable for teenagers above 15, with the requested genres and length: ... proceeds to give a list of titles, authors with Genre: ... Year of publication: ... Publisher: ... ISBN: ... Pages: ... Summary: ....

me: Ah! that sounds legit this time! Thank you. Let's see if I can order one... hum... only 1 out of 5 seems to exist. Bummer.

Hey, Mr AI, what about this 'ABC' by Such Author? It sounds great, but I cannot find it anywhere.

Ai: The book ‘ABC’ by Such Author does not seem to exist according to available search results. There is no evidence that Such Author wrote a novel with this title. Here are some of his known works that could possibly cause confusion: ...
If you are specifically looking for a book titled ‘ABC’, you may be referring to a different work, such as ‘We, the ABC’ by a Different Author or ‘The ABC’ by Yet Another Author. Let me know if I can help!

me: I was not the one referring to the bloody book or author! Seriously, AI, why do you invent answers completely wrong and nonsensical to my request for books? Why do you lie?

AI: I sincerely apologize for the incorrect and misleading information provided earlier. My intention is always to assist you with accurate and helpful answers, but sometimes errors occur when generating responses, especially if I misinterpret your request or rely on incomplete data.
I did not intend to "lie" or deliberately invent answers. As an AI, I sometimes make mistakes by extrapolating or misunderstanding the context of your query. This can result in inaccurate book suggestions, titles, or descriptions that don't exist or don't match your request.
Let me correct my approach and provide accurate book recommendations for Dutch-speaking teenagers (15 years old upwards) that are exciting, realistic, and under 250 pages: ... lists 3 books.
Accurate Process:
If you'd like more recommendations, I can double-check titles and provide verified ISBNs or publication details. Thank you for pointing out the issue—I truly appreciate your patience as I strive to improve my responses

me: I recognise 2 of the 3 immediately. It seems your process this time was indeed accurate.

But because I was now too deep into Hallucination Land to trust Mr AI, I checked the ISBN it gave me. Shocker, they do not exist. Neither of the publishers is the one for those 2 books. But the books are real, under other references. That’s almost ok, right? Now, let’s check the 3, this ‘DEF’...
me to AI: Hey pall, ‘DEF’ does not exist either…

Ai: You are right that ‘DEF’ by Very Known Author does not exist. I apologise for the error. Very Known Author is a well-known Dutch writer, especially of children's books and poetry, but this particular book is not part of his oeuvre. Here are some real books by Very Known Author that you might find interesting, although they may not exactly match the original question: …

and then comes a list of books for adults. As in Very Adults Books.

At this point I am certain Mr AI is taking the piss. And I want out of Hallucination Land.

I did ended up ordering the only real book from a real author with the correct reference. And Mother-in-law, who was there assured me it was a great one for my kid, so I guess AI did its job…?
​I feel I would have wasted less time just asking Mother-in-law in the first place though…


*Why the odd reference to this particular bookshop in Rotterdam? No idea.