generative AI

noun

variants or less commonly gen AI or generative artificial intelligence
: artificial intelligence that is capable of generating new content (such as images or text) in response to a submitted prompt (such as a query) by learning from a large reference database of examples
Generative AI is a computer tool that can create text that sounds like it was written by a human, based on a given starting point.Stephanie Sylvestre
In a departure from previous efforts, Therabot is powered by generative artificial intelligence, meaning it can use existing data and documentation to develop original actions and responses. Another example of generative AI is DALL-E 2, the popular program that can create images from user prompts.Sarah Sloat
Publishers hire armies of journalists to produce content. … These publishers will soon leverage generative AI to instantly create thousands of SEO-optimized articles …Lloyd Danzig

called also GAI

Examples of generative AI in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But the site had seen a series of downsizing moves over recent years, as the company struggled to keep up with its rivals as generative AI transformed the industry. Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Many of the roles have been projected for several years to be among the fastest-growing, even preceding the generative AI boom and its incumbent electricity demands, for example. Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026 First, a few enthusiastic teams shipped generative AI and agentic AI features fast and superficially, creating real second-order risk—which is why the AI productivity function exists today. Ankur Pal, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 The decision marks a further expansion of the DSA into generative AI, with X’s AI chatbot Grok already facing an investigation under the law. Barbara Moens, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for generative AI

Word History

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of generative AI was in 1993

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Cite this Entry

“Generative AI.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/generative%20AI. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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