To avoid AI hallucinations, Square's AI tools translate merchant queries into deterministic actions. For example, a query about sales on rainy days prompts the AI to write and execute real SQL code against a data warehouse, ensuring grounded, accurate results.

To ensure reliability in healthcare, ZocDoc doesn't give LLMs free rein. It wraps them in a hybrid system where traditional, deterministic code orchestrates the AI's tasks, sets firm boundaries, and knows when to hand off to a human, preventing the 'praying for the best' approach common with direct LLM use.

For applications in banking, insurance, or healthcare, reliability is paramount. Startups that architect their systems from the ground up to prevent hallucinations will have a fundamental advantage over those trying to incrementally reduce errors in general-purpose models.

After an initial analysis, use a "stress-testing" prompt that forces the LLM to verify its own findings, check for contradictions, and correct its mistakes. This verification step is crucial for building confidence in the AI's output and creating bulletproof insights.

Instead of relying solely on 'black box' LLMs, a more robust approach is neurosymbolic computation. This method combines three estimators: a traditional symbolic/rule-based model (e.g., a medical checklist), a neural network prediction, and an LLM's assessment. By comparing these diverse outputs, experts can make more informed and reliable judgments.

Building reliable AI agents for finance, where accuracy is critical, requires moving beyond pure LLMs. Xero uses a hybrid system combining LLM-driven workflows with programmatic code and deep domain knowledge to ensure control and reliability that LLMs inherently lack.

Contrary to the hype around real-time AI, the most practical emerging enterprise LLM use case is batch inference. This approach allows for generating assets on a schedule, followed by human review and approval, providing a crucial safety layer before deploying AI into production systems.

A one-size-fits-all evaluation method is inefficient. Use simple code for deterministic checks like word count. Leverage an LLM-as-a-judge for subjective qualities like tone. Reserve costly human evaluation for ambiguous cases flagged by the LLM or for validating new features.

Don't blindly trust AI. The correct mental model is to view it as a super-smart intern fresh out of school. It has vast knowledge but no real-world experience, so its work requires constant verification, code reviews, and a human-in-the-loop process to catch errors.