ai

1 of 3

noun

ˈī How to pronounce ai (audio)
ˈä-ˌē,
ä-ˈē
plural ais
: three-toed sloth
A sloth is a slow-moving arboreal (tree-dwelling) mammal and the name ai was given to this creature because of its high-pitched screech.Al Perkins
Three-toed sloth is a common crossword puzzle clue for the word "ai."Marty Noble

AI

2 of 3

abbreviation or noun

variants or less commonly A.I.
plural AIs also A.I.s
1
: artificial intelligence
the field of AI
AI research
… her lifelike appearance makes her impressive, but even Sophia [a robot] isn't demonstrating true AI. She's not autonomous, and can't make her own decisions.Brian Wang
2
a
: software designed to imitate aspects of intelligent human behavior
Consumers are already comfortable with the use of AI in many of the technologies we use daily.Ophir Tanz and Cindy Roark
The immediate danger, he said, was A.I.'s ability to create convincing false photos, videos and audio—showing things that didn't happen or weren't done by the people seen or heard in the generated content.Adrian Humphreys
also : an individual program or set of programs designed in this way
You have the option of facing an AI or another player online to test your skills … John Bradbury
To tell a picture of a cat from a dog, for example, an AI needs to sift through a huge trove of images. Sherryn Groch and Tim Biggs
AIs can learn and mimic certain biases if their training data sets are not diverse enough. Jeremy Hsu
an AI system
AI chatbots
b
: something (such as a robot) that operates by means of AI software
The Tesla CEO also shared the timeline of the Tesla bot, offering a release window to those interested in having the humanoid AI.Nica Osorio

see also generative AI

AI

3 of 3

abbreviation

1
ad interim
2
airborne intercept
3
air interception
4
artificial insemination

Examples of ai in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Abbreviation or noun
McKay's emphasis on secure AI adoption aligns with the broader market’s focus on ensuring that AI advancements don’t come at the expense of security. Tony Bradley, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024 Tom Steyer October 2, 2024 7:06 AM EDT At a time when emission reductions are vital, energy demand has surged to a record high as a boom in AI and data centers pushes our nation’s grid to the brink. Tom Steyer, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024 Artificial general intelligence, or AGI, is the still theoretical notion of an AI system that can handle tasks as well as or better than humans are able to. Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2024 Billboard Arabia aims to change that by using advanced AI and smart technology to remaster her performance and give new life to the track. Billboard Arabia, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ai 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ai.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Portuguese "sloth (the animal)," borrowed from Tupi aɨ́

Note: The Tupi form is based on that given by Aryon Rodrigues in "Contribuição para a etimologia dos brasileirismos," Revista Portuguesa de Filologia, vol. 9, I-II (1958-59), p. 14. The word can be found with various spellings in a number of early sources: André Thevet, Les singularitez de la France Antarctique, 1558 (Haü, Haüthi); Jean de Léry, Histoire d'un voyage faict en la terre du Bresil, 1578 (Hay); letter of José de Anchieta, 1560, in Serafim Leite, editor, Cartas dos primeiros Jesuítas do Brasil, vol. 3 [1958], p. 222, cited in Antônio Geraldo da Cunha, Dicionário histórico das palavras portuguesas de origem tupi, São Paulo, 1978 ("Est aliud animal quod Indi aig, nos propter nimiam tarditatem pigritiam dicimus" — "There is another animal that the Indians call aig, that we call on account of its excessive slowness the sloth"); Gabriel Soares de Sousa, Tratado descritivo do Brasil, 1587 (ahy).

First Known Use

Noun

1625, in the meaning defined above

Abbreviation Or Noun

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ai was in 1625

Dictionary Entries Near ai

Cite this Entry

“Ai.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ai. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

AI

abbreviation
artificial insemination

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