DadgogoAI Dictionary

Dictionary entry

AI winter

noun \ˌā-ˈī ˈwin-tər\
TopicCulture & Big Ideas First known use1984 Senses1
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Definition of AI winter

  1. : a period when interest, funding, and progress in AI fall sharply after expectations are not met

    • There were AI winters in the 1970s and late 1980s.
    • Skeptics warn that another AI winter could follow today's boom.

Origin & history

first known use1984

Coined at a 1984 meeting of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence, modeled on 'nuclear winter'.

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Related terms

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Cite this entry

"AI winter." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/ai-winter/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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