DadgogoAI Dictionary

Dictionary entry

emergent abilities

plural noun \i-ˈmər-jənt ə-ˈbi-lə-tēz\

also emergence

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Definition of emergent abilities

  1. : skills that seem to appear suddenly once a model passes a certain size, even though it was not specifically trained for them

    • Multi-step arithmetic was described as an emergent ability of larger models.
    • Some researchers argue emergent abilities are partly an artifact of how we measure.

Origin & history

first known use2022

Popularized by a 2022 paper from Google researchers.

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Cite this entry

"Emergent abilities." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/emergent-abilities/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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