language model
noun
plural language models
: a mathematical model (see model entry 1 sense 3) that analyzes a corpus of text in order to accurately represent the relationships between words
We have tremendous freedom to put words in any order we like. The computer has to have some kind of handle, a language model. It has to figure how likely any particular word is to pop up at any time.—
Robert Mercer, quoted in Chicago Tribune
Robert Mercer, quoted in Chicago Tribune
also
: software that uses a language model to generate text (such as responses to queries or prompts)
For example, given the task of analyzing the sentiment of the sentence 'I missed the bus today,' researchers could continue with the prompt 'I felt so [blank]' and ask a language model to fill in the blank with an emotion. —Kyle Wiggers
see also large language model
Kyle Wiggers Examples of language model in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But when analyzing millions of documents in aggregate, telltale patterns emerge that suggest the influence of AI language models on text.
—Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2025
By comparison, the original protein language models were trained with a context length of 1,000 amino acids.
—Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
The language model pointed out that alpine climbers often rappel in Arctic conditions.
—Jake Offenhartz, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
The o1-preview and R1 AI systems are among the first language models to use large-scale reinforcement learning, a technique that teaches AI not merely to mimic human language by predicting the next word, but to reason through problems using trial and error.
—Harry Booth, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025
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Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2025
By comparison, the original protein language models were trained with a context length of 1,000 amino acids.
—Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
The language model pointed out that alpine climbers often rappel in Arctic conditions.
—Jake Offenhartz, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
The o1-preview and R1 AI systems are among the first language models to use large-scale reinforcement learning, a technique that teaches AI not merely to mimic human language by predicting the next word, but to reason through problems using trial and error.
—Harry Booth, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for language model
Cite this Entry
“Language model.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/language%20model. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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