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

For this story, Fortune journalists used generative AI as a research tool. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 May 2026

Ari Kuschnir — founder and managing partner of m ss ng p eces and a pioneer in AI-powered storytelling and immersive media — similarly sees generative AI less as automation and more as acceleration for creative flow states. —C.m. Rubin, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

More than 94,000 people responded, and the results show widespread use of generative AI tools, but also significant ambivalence about the technology. —Lee V. Gaines, NPR, 25 May 2026

Topics include generative AI, prompt engineering, AI ethics, automation, autonomous AI agents, and the companies driving the current AI industry. —Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 25 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2012, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for generative AI

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