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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The data revealed that non-tech users (20%) intend to spend $381, compared to $494 for consumers using search engines (30%), $531 for search and social media users (21%) and $737 for search, social and generative AI users (29%). Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026 Now Norway has decided to impose a near-ban on generative AI use by elementary school students, with children ages 6 to 13 generally barred from using the technology beginning this school year, Reuters reports. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 That was a couple months before the launch of ChatGPT catalyzed the generative AI boom that would ultimately help turn Nvidia into the world’s most valuable company. Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 The company announced in 2025 that interactions with its generative AI features could become signals for the content and ads people see across Meta products. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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