Plain-English AI definitions for legal professionals. For what bars actually require, see the Legal AI Compliance Register.
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Generative AI

Core concepts Last reviewed 2026-06-11

Definition Artificial intelligence that creates new content—text, images, audio, video, or code—by learning patterns from large datasets, rather than only analyzing or classifying existing information.

In more depth

Generative AI systems are trained on large collections of existing material and then produce new output in response to instructions called prompts. Large language models, which generate text, are the type most used in legal work, but image, audio, and video generators follow the same principle. Output is a statistical construction rather than a retrieval of stored documents, so it can be fluent yet wrong. Law firms typically govern generative AI use through policies covering confidentiality, verification of output, and client communication.

Further reading: Wikipedia.

Related terms

Large language model (LLM)Foundation modelHallucination

About the editor: MHSB Solutions, Research desk. MHSB Solutions is not a law firm. This glossary is educational information, not legal advice.

Educational information, not legal advice. AI terminology and tools change quickly; definitions reflect usage as of the last-updated date. For what bar associations and courts actually require of lawyers using AI, see legalaicompliance.help and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.