tool use
/tool yooz/ · noun · AI & Machine Learning · Origin: 2023
Definitions
The capability of a language model to invoke external functions, APIs, or services during response generation. Rather than relying solely on its training data, the model can call a calculator, search engine, database, or code interpreter to produce accurate, up-to-date, or verifiable outputs.
In plain English: Giving an AI the ability to use external tools like calculators, search engines, or databases instead of trying to answer everything from memory.
Example: Once we enabled tool use, the assistant could actually check inventory in real-time instead of guessing whether items were in stock.