Why Claude and ChatGPT answers are not precise enough, and how to get exact, sourced ones
Vague answers, "it depends", a wrong figure stated with confidence: why AI assistants are imprecise on rules, amounts and deadlines, and how connecting an official source over MCP gives exact answers with a link.
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A common frustration with Claude and ChatGPT is not that they are wrong all the time. It is that they are vague when you need a number, and confident when the number is wrong. You ask for a deadline and get "usually a few weeks". You ask whether a rule applies to you and get three paragraphs ending in "it depends". This page explains where that imprecision comes from and how to get exact answers instead.
Where imprecision comes from
- No source in front of the model. Without a document to read, the model reconstructs an answer from patterns. Patterns are good at the general shape and bad at the exact figure.
- Rules that depend on a situation. When the answer differs by case, a model that cannot see the cases either averages them (vague) or picks one (confidently wrong for you).
- Facts that changed after training. Amounts, deadlines, certificate statuses and vulnerability data move every week. A model's memory does not.
- Hedging as a safety habit. When unsure, assistants are trained to qualify. That avoids some errors but leaves you without an answer.
What precise looks like
| Question | Imprecise answer | Precise answer, with a source connected |
|---|---|---|
| Notice for a furnished flat in France | "Usually one to three months" | 1 month, from the Service-Public.fr sheet on tenant notice, with its link |
| Is this CVE exploited? | "It may be actively exploited" | Yes or no from the CISA KEV catalog, with the date it was added |
| Is this FIPS 140-3 certificate active? | "It was validated at some point" | Status, level and sunset date from the certificate record |
How to get exact answers
- Connect a source for the domain. KBrain brains plug into Claude, ChatGPT and other MCP assistants and return the passage or record that answers the question.
- Give your situation in the question. "Furnished flat", "non-EU student", "Common Criteria": the brain uses it to pick the right passage.
- Ask for the citation and check it. A precise answer comes with the page or record it came from, and its date.
KBrain search is keyword based: it finds the passages that contain the words of the procedure, product or identifier, and the assistant writes those words for you. It is fast and predictable, and every result can be traced to its source.
Sources you can connect today
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Subscribe to an expert built brain, or build your own from your documents, and query it from Claude, ChatGPT, or any MCP compatible assistant.
Questions people ask.
Why does ChatGPT give vague answers?
Because it has no source for the exact fact and the answer depends on details it cannot see. It falls back on general patterns and hedges. Connecting a source and stating your situation gives it the exact passage to answer from.
Why is Claude so cautious and full of caveats?
Claude is trained to qualify when it is unsure. With a source connected over MCP, it can quote the exact rule or record and keep the caveats to what the source itself says.
Is this different from reducing hallucinations?
It is the same root cause seen from the other side. A hallucination is a confident invented fact; imprecision is a missing one. Both come from answering without the source, and both are fixed by retrieving it.
Do I need to change assistant?
No. KBrain brains connect to Claude, ChatGPT and any MCP compatible assistant, so you keep the assistant you use.