generative

adjective

gen·​er·​a·​tive ˈje-nə-rə-tiv 

ˈjen-rə-tiv,

ˈje-nə-ˌrā-tiv 

: having the power or function of generating, originating, producing, or reproducing

… Elizabeth Gilbert dives into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity.

—Camryn La Sala

… her gift is essentially organizational rather than generative.

—Martin Filler

: such as

a

biology : of or relating to the production of offspring

vegetative and generative plant growth

the generative organs of mammals

see also generative cell, generative nucleus

b

computing : using artificial intelligence algorithms to create complete units of content (such as text compositions, images, audio, or video) based on a broad corpus of material

generative AI

Unlike the phone's predictive text feature, ChatGPT is said to be generative (the G in GPT).

—JoElla Carman and Jasmine Cui

Examples of generative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 2020 election swung in Joe Biden’s favor by just 44,000 votes in three swing states, a margin thin enough to elicit fears that deepfakes spread by generative artificial intelligence could alter the outcome of the next U.S. Presidential election, in 2024. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024

Many employers are still downsizing because of overly optimistic projections, consumers’ changing habits, technological advances such as generative artificial intelligence, and macroeconomic pressures. —Danielle Abril, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024

Some of the images and videos were from previous conflicts or wildfires, others were from video games and some appeared to have been made with generative artificial intelligence. —Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024

Millions of students are using generative artificial intelligence to write papers as the popularity of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT proliferates. —Laura Bratton, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024

Teachers understandably want to hold students accountable for using generative AI without permission or disclosure. —Amanda Hoover, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2024

As generative artificial intelligence tools push into the entertainment industry, Hollywood is throwing its weight behind a bill that will require heightened transparency from AI companies. —Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has already released generative AI products like Imagine, which can produce images from text prompts. —Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024

Beyond Warehouses and Data Centers: A Holistic Approach The potential benefits of generative AI extend far beyond these two examples. —Timothy Papandreou, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing generative

• generative AI
• generative artificial intelligence
• generative cell
• generative grammar
• generative nucleus
• generative semantics

Medical Definition

generative

adjective

gen·​er·​a·​tive ˈjen-(ə-)rət-iv  -ə-ˌrāt- 

: having the power or function of propagating or reproducing

generative organs