Training cutoff
Definition
The point in time after which a language model has no direct knowledge from its training data, because that data was collected before the cutoff date.
Why it matters
A brand founded, renamed or repositioned after a model's training cutoff may be unknown to it entirely unless the model also grounds its answer in live web results.
Example
A model with a mid-2025 training cutoff may not know about a product launched in early 2026 unless it performs a live web search to answer the question.
Related terms
Concepts
Large language model (LLM)
A large language model is an AI system trained on very large amounts of text to predict and generate language.
Concepts
Grounding
Grounding is connecting an AI model's answer to external sources, such as search results, so that claims can be supported and cited.
Concepts
Hallucination (in brand answers)
A hallucination is an AI statement that sounds plausible but is false or unsupported.
Keep learning
What is Training cutoff?
The point in time after which a language model has no direct knowledge from its training data, because that data was collected before the cutoff date.
Why does training cutoff matter?
A brand founded, renamed or repositioned after a model's training cutoff may be unknown to it entirely unless the model also grounds its answer in live web results.
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