{"slug": "every-ai-database-answer-needs-a-source-trail", "title": "Every AI database answer needs a source trail", "summary": "AI-generated database answers must include a source trail, as responses like \"MRR is up 8%\" are unreliable without knowing their origin. It emphasizes that errors often stem not from hallucinations but from using the wrong source, stale data, or incorrect scope. The key recommendation is to have the database layer produce provenance automatically, rather than relying on the AI model to invent it afterward.", "body_md": "An AI answer without provenance is just a confident paragraph.\nThat may be fine for brainstorming.\nIt is not enough for database answers that drive product, finance, support, or operations decisions.\nWhen an agent returns “MRR is up 8%,” the useful question is not only whether the number came from a database.\nThe team also needs to know:\nWrong database answers are not always hallucinations.\nOften they are grounded in the wrong source, an old replica, a stale metric definition, or the wrong tenant scope.\nLonger version: Query provenance for AI database agents\nThe practical rule:\nDo not ask the model to invent provenance after the fact. The database/MCP layer should produce it as part of the tool result.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/every-ai-database-answer-needs-a-source-trail", "canonical_source": "https://dev.to/mads_hansen_27b33ebfee4c9/every-ai-database-answer-needs-a-source-trail-2de3", "published_at": "2026-05-19 01:20:48+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-05-19 01:30:26.233895+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "large-language-models", "data", "enterprise-software"], "entities": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/every-ai-database-answer-needs-a-source-trail", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/every-ai-database-answer-needs-a-source-trail.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/every-ai-database-answer-needs-a-source-trail.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/every-ai-database-answer-needs-a-source-trail.jsonld"}}