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DevelopmentBeginner1960s

Latency

Latency

Latency is the delay between sending a request to an AI system and receiving the response.

Explained simply

Latency is the delay between sending a request to an AI system and receiving the response.

1Request sent
→
2Processing time
→
3Response arrives
→
4User experience

At a glance

Category
Development
Difficulty
Beginner
Introduced
1960s

Real example

A voice assistant feels awkward when it takes five seconds to answer because its latency is high.

Why it matters

Low latency makes AI feel fast and natural, especially in voice and real-time applications.

Timeline

Origins

The ideas behind Latency begin developing.

1960s

Latency becomes a recognised term or technique.

Wider use

Research and practical applications increase.

Modern AI

Latency becomes connected to newer AI systems and products.

Today

Latency remains relevant in the development area of AI.

Dates for broad concepts may describe the period when the idea emerged or became widely used, rather than one exact invention date.

Learn next

Continue with these connected terms:

InferenceInference is the moment a trained AI model uses what it learned to produce an answer or prediction.→SLMA small language model is a compact language model designed to use less memory and computing power than an LLM.→APIAn API is a connection that lets two pieces of software ask each other for information or actions.→

Simple infographic

A quick visual way to understand Latency.

1Request sent
→
2Processing time
→
3Response arrives
→
4User experience
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