generative AI

noun

variants or less commonly generative artificial intelligence

: artificial intelligence (see artificial intelligence sense 2) 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

Examples of generative AI in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last September, generative AI was looking to me like a big dud. —Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Altman and Musk, who were longtime friends, have become bitter adversaries since OpenAI’s emergence as a leader in generative AI with billions of dollars in funding from Microsoft. —Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025

Another finding is that 70% of the executives surveyed say generative AI is helping draft and review contracts more quickly. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2025

With generative AI models now capable of producing fluid, context-rich dialogue, Mattel’s new vision is a toy that grows with the child, holds personalized conversations, and recalls past interactions to adjust its responses. —Marc Fernandez, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2012, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for generative AI

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify