ai
ai — noun
- aisingular
- aisplural
1. the use of computers and software to do things that normally need human thinking
the use of computers and software to do things that normally need human thinking — such as understanding speech, recognising images, making choices, and learning from experience
Minh used AI to translate the old family letters from Vietnamese into English.
use AI to + verb for practical tasks
The hospital now relies on AI to spot early signs of disease in patient scans.
AI + to-infinitive for a specific function
Heather asked her students to write a short essay about the risks of AI.
Farmers in the region are using AI to predict when pests will attack their crops.
There is a growing debate about whether AI should be allowed to make life-or-death decisions.
- artificial intelligence
full form; more formal and often used in academic writing
- machine intelligence
older term, now less common than AI
文法句型
AI + verb (singular)
in AI
use AI to + verb
常見錯誤
2. a computer program or machine built to do tasks that usually need human intellig
a computer program or machine built to do tasks that usually need human intelligence, such as answering questions, writing text, or creating pictures
Andrei built a small AI to tell the difference between wild mushrooms in the forest.
build an AI + to-infinitive
The startup released an AI that writes computer code faster than most junior programmers.
an AI that + clause
On her phone, Sivan asked an AI to plan a three-day trip around northern Spain.
An AI at the hospital now reads X-ray images and flags anything that looks unusual.
Jude spent the afternoon teaching an AI to recognise different bird calls from the garden.
文法句型
an AI
AIs (plural)
the AI + verb
用法筆記
Only sense that can be plural (AIs). Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 refers to a specific system you can count; sense 1 refers to the whole field of technology.
常見錯誤
3. a medical method of helping a woman or female animal become pregnant by placing
a medical method of helping a woman or female animal become pregnant by placing sperm inside her body without sexual intercourse
The dairy farmer used AI to breed cows that produced more milk each season.
used AI + to-infinitive in an agricultural context
Tara and her partner chose AI after trying for a baby for nearly four years.
chose AI — verb collocation
The vet explained that AI was the safest way to breed the rare mountain goats.
Yara read several books about AI before deciding it was the right path for her family.
Many cattle ranches now rely on AI rather than keeping bulls on the property.
- artificial insemination
full form; used in formal and medical contexts
文法句型
through AI
by AI
AI treatment
用法筆記
Common in farming and veterinary contexts as well as human medicine. The full form 'artificial insemination' is preferred in formal writing.
4. a slow-moving animal from South America; it has three long, curved claws on ever
a slow-moving animal from South America; it has three long, curved claws on every foot and lives in trees
The ai hung upside down from a cecropia branch, moving so slowly it seemed frozen.
the ai — definite article with rare animal name
Devika watched an ai at the wildlife centre spend a whole morning eating a single leaf.
Sofia spotted an ai high in the canopy during her first week in the Amazon rainforest.
Unlike the two-toed kind, the ai has three claws on every foot and a paler face.
The guide pointed to an ai curled into a ball among the thick green leaves above them.
- three-toed sloth
the common English name; use this in everyday speech
- Bradypus tridactylus
scientific name; used only in biology texts
文法句型
an ai
the ai
用法筆記
Pronounced like 'eye,' not 'ay-eye.' Most English speakers call this animal a 'three-toed sloth'; 'ai' is rare and mainly found in older zoology books.