Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

What Is a Pretrained AI Model?

08/12/2022

Imagine trying to teach a toddler what a unicorn is. A good place to start might be by showing the child images of the creature and describing its unique features.

Now imagine trying to teach an artificially intelligent machine what a unicorn is. Where would one even begin?

Pretrained AI models offer a solution.

A pretrained AI model is a deep learning model - an expression of a brain-like neural algorithm that finds patterns or makes predictions based on data - that's trained on large datasets to accomplish a specific task. It can be used as is or further fine-tuned to fit an application's specific needs.

Why Are Pretrained AI Models Used? Instead of building an AI model from scratch, developers can use pretrained models and customize them to meet their requirements.

To build an AI application, developers first need an AI model that can accomplish a particular task, whether that's identifying a mythical horse, detecting a safety hazard for an autonomous vehicle or diagnosing a cancer based on medical imaging. That model needs a lot of representative data to learn from.

This learning process entails going through several layers of incoming data and emphasizing goals-relevant characteristics at each layer.

To create a model that can recognize a unicorn, for example, one might first feed it images of unicorns, horses, cats, tigers and other animals. This is the incoming data.

Then, layers of representative data traits are constructed, beginning with the simple - like lines and colors - and advancing to complex structural features. These characteristics are assigned varying degrees of relevance by calculating probabilities.

As opposed to a cat or tiger, for example, the more like a horse a creature appears, the greater the likelihood that it is a unicorn. Such probabilistic values are stored at each neural network layer in the AI model, and as layers are added, its understanding of the representation improves.

To create such a model from scratch, developers require enormous datasets, often with billions of rows of data. These can be pricey and challenging to obtain, but compromising on data can lead to poor performance of the model.

Precomputed probabilistic representations - known as weights - save time, money and effort. A pretrained model is already built and trained with these weights.

Using a high-quality pretrained model with a large number of accurate representative weights leads to higher chances of success for AI deployment. Weights can be modified, and more data can be added to the model to further customize or fine-tune it.

Developers building on pretrained models can create AI applications faster, without having to worry about handling mountains of input data or computing probabilities for dense layers.

In other words, using a pretrained AI model is like getting a dress or a shirt and then tailoring it to fit your needs, rather than starting with fabric, thread and needle.

Pretrained AI models are often used for transfer learning and can be based on several model architecture types. One popular architecture type is the transformer model, a neural network that learns context and meaning by tracking relationships in sequential data.

According to Alfredo Ramos, senior vice president of platform at AI company Clarifai - a Premier partner in the NVIDIA Inception program for startups - pretrained models can cut AI application development time by up to a year and lead to cost savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

How Are Pretrained Models Advancing AI? Since pretrained models simplify and quicken AI development, many developers and companies use them to accelerate various AI use cases.

Top areas in which pretrained models are advancing AI include:

Natural language processing. Pretrained models are used for translation, chatbots and other natural language processing applications. Large language models, often based on the transformer model architecture, are an extension of pretrained models. One example of a pretrained LLM is NVIDIA NeMo Megatron, one of the world's largest AI models.

Speech AI. Pretrained models can help speech AI applications plug and play across different languages. Use cases include call center automation, AI assistants and voice-recognition technologies.

Computer vision. Like in the unicorn example above, pretrained models can help AI quickly recognize creatures - or objects, places and people. In this way, pretrained models accelerate computer vision, giving applications human-like vision capabilities across sports, smart cities and more.

Healthcare. For healthcare applications, pretrained AI models like MegaMolBART - part of the NVIDIA BioNeMo service and framework - can understand the language of chemistry and learn the relationships between atoms in real-world molecules, giving the scientific community a powerful tool for faster drug discovery.

Cybersecurity. Pretrained models provide a starting point to implement AI-based cybersecurity solutions and extend the capabilities of human security analysts to detect threats faster. Examples include digital fingerprinting of humans and machines, and detection of anomalies, sensitive information and phishing.

Art and creative workflows. Bolstering the recent wave of AI art, pretrained models can help accelerate creative workflows through tools like GauGAN and NVIDIA Canvas.

Pretrained AI models can be applied across industries beyond these, as their customization and fine-tuning can lead to infinite possibilities for use cases.

Where to Find Pretrained AI Models Companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft and NVIDIA are inventing cutting-edge model architectures and frameworks to build AI models.

These are sometimes released on model hubs or as open source, enabling developers to fine-tune pretrained AI models, improve their accuracy and expand model repositories.

NVIDIA NGC
LINK: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2022/12/08/what-is-a-pretrained-ai-model...
See more stories from nvidia

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

17/07/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 24: Mercedes-Benz Stadiums Cole Gallagher - Supporting Shows in the ATL

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

17/07/2026

Brooklyn Bowl Williamsburg Stagehands Vote to Join IATSE Local 4

Production workers at Brooklyn Bowl's Williamsburg location voted 15-1 to join IATSE Local 4. The bargaining unit covers 24 production workers at the venue,...

17/07/2026

DAZN and ADI Predictstreet Announce Exclusive Global Prediction Market Partnership

DAZN and ADI Predictstreet have announced an exclusive global strategic partners...

17/07/2026

Zixi and Comcast Technology Solutions Announce Integration for C-Band Satellite Replacement

Zixi and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) have announced a strategic integrati...

17/07/2026

Professional Fighters League Announces Multi-Year Partnership with ESPN in Brazil

Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced a multi-year partnership with E...

17/07/2026

Spectrum Business Launches Spectrum TV Control Pro for Multi-Screen Venue Management

Spectrum Business has announced Spectrum TV Control Pro, a centralized app-based...

17/07/2026

Clark Wire and Cable Appoints Rick Fernandez as Latin American Representative

Clark Wire and Cable has announced that Rick Fernandez, Managing Director of Axxion Consulting, will serve as Independent Manufacturers Representative for Centr...

17/07/2026

TikTok, NBA, and WNBA Announce Multi-Year Global Content Partnership

TikTok, the NBA, and the WNBA have announced a multi-year global content partnership covering highlights distribution, creator access to marquee events, live-ga...

17/07/2026

MSG Entertainment Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Wired Over July 9 Article

Company alleges article contained false and misleading claims regarding customer data...

17/07/2026

Ratings Roundup: Argentina-England Semifinal Breaks Records for FOX; MLB All-Star Game Is Most Watched Since 2018

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...

17/07/2026

American Pachuco Gives a Legend of Stage and Screen His Due

(L-R) Edward James Olmos, Luis Valdez, Lou Diamond Phillips and Lupe Valdez attend American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez Premiere during the 2026 Sundan...

17/07/2026

Sonuscore introduce Elysion Elements

Full engine access with reduced soundset Sonuscore have steadily been introducing a selection of reduced-cost and free versions of their flagship products r...

17/07/2026

Arturia AstroLab Silver & KeyLab Mk3 Ultra

Two new special-edition models revealed Over the past week, Arturia have launched special-edition versions of both their premium MIDI controller and stage p...

17/07/2026

Dirk Ulrich reacquires Plugin Alliance & Brainworx

Original founder now back at the helm In a message posted on his personal social media accounts, Dirk Ulrich has announced that both Plugin Alliance and Bra...

17/07/2026

Legendary presenter Anton Enus to sign off from SBS World News after 27 years with the network

Legendary presenter Anton Enus to sign off from SBS World News after 27 years wi...

17/07/2026

Millions rise before dawn to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals on SBS

Millions rise before dawn to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals on SBS 17 July, 2026 Media releases England v Argentina attracted a Total TV reach of a...

17/07/2026

Spectrum Simplifies Control Of Multiple TVs At Bars, Restaurants

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/07/2026

Foundry Releases SmartRoto for Nuke

Foundry Releases SmartRoto for Nuke Brie Clayton July 17, 2026 0 Comments Spline-based AI powered plugin accelerates time-consuming rotoscoping, helping...

17/07/2026

A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil Edited with DaVinci Resolve Studio

A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil Edited with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton July 17, 2026 0 Comments SBIFF jury award winner finished fro...

17/07/2026

Wheatstone to Feature Virtual Mixing Platform at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/07/2026

Trump Threatens Networks Over Speech Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/07/2026

Lightware Sustainability Report Details Product Efficienc...

Lightware has published its second voluntary Sustainability Report, showing how energy efficiency, product longevity and responsible material use are increasing...

17/07/2026

Foundry Unlocks Professional-Grade AI for VFX with Gripta...

Creative software developer Foundry today announced Griptape Enterprise, a new tier of the Griptape AI workflow orchestration platform, extended to meet the str...

17/07/2026

Foundry Releases SmartRoto for Nuke

Creative software developer Foundry today announced the availability of SmartRoto, a new AI-powered plugin upgrade for Nuke, NukeX, Nuke Studio, and Nuke Indie ...

17/07/2026

The Final Release of Blackmagic Fairlight Live is Now Available!

The Final Release of Blackmagic Fairlight Live is Now Available! Brie Clayton July 16, 2026 0 Comments Fairlight Live is a new audio mixer designed fo...

17/07/2026

Leveraging All of Entertainment's IP

Leveraging All of Entertainment's IP Andy Marken July 16, 2026 0 Comments Nobody ever wins the games. Period. There are survivors. There\s no win...

17/07/2026

Few mics are trusted on an antique Stradivarius copy 4099 is

From intimate acoustic settings to large-scale festival stages, her focus has remained constant: preserving the true natural voice of the violin in every perfor...

17/07/2026

RT Radio 1 continues its summer of stories, music, sport and conversation

New and returning series, live festival broadcasts, powerful documentaries and major sporting moments headline RT Radio 1's summer schedule RT Radio 1 is...

17/07/2026

NVIDIA Vera Rubin Maximizes Intelligence per Dollar for Post-Training Workloads - a Key Metric for Agentic AI

Think of a professional athlete. What separates elite performers is what happens...

17/07/2026

Dith, Jacqui and Louise bring hurling fans together ahead of the All-Ireland Finals

Up For The Match - Live From Croke Park this Saturday at 8pm on RT One and RT ...

17/07/2026

DiscoverIreland.ie announced as official show sponsor of The Traitors Ireland series 2

RT Commercial has today announced DiscoverIreland.ie, as sponsor of The Traitor...

16/07/2026

Business Innovation Synergizer: Grants of up to 30,000 for media organisations

Media organisations with tested plans for new products, services or revenue models can now apply for grants of up to 30,000 through the Business Innovation Syn...

16/07/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Kaden Sherman, Albany State University

This recent graduate and Georgia native has turned an early fascination with live production into a growing passion for camera work In the live-sports-video in...

16/07/2026

TNDV Marks First Year of Aspiration 35 Cinematic Production Truck

TNDV is marking the first anniversary of Aspiration 35, a mobile production truck built around ARRI Alexa 35 Live camera systems. Over its first year, the truck...

16/07/2026

ATSC Releases First Major Revision to A/85 Audio Loudness Recommended Practice Since 2013

ATSC has completed a major revision to its A/85 Recommended Practice: Techniques...

16/07/2026

FloSports Named Exclusive Global Media Partner for 2026 CrossFit Games

FloSports has announced an exclusive global media partnership with CrossFit for the 2026 CrossFit Games, presented by Air National Guard, beginning July 21 in S...

16/07/2026

Sennheiser Releases Spectera Firmware 1.4 and Command Button

Sennheiser has released firmware version 1.4 for its Spectera wireless system and announced the Spectera Command Button (Cat. No. 701014). The update adds comma...

16/07/2026

ESPN and Southwestern Athletic Conference Announce Multi-Year Media Rights Agreement Through 2030-31

ESPN and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) have announced a multi-year...

16/07/2026

Audio-Technica Releases 20 Series Control Application for Elgato Stream Deck

Audio-Technica has announced the 20 Series Control Application, a Stream Deck plug-in for compatible Audio-Technica USB microphones. The application is compatib...

16/07/2026

SSL Live L550 Plus Consoles Power Audio Production for The Voice France Season 15

The fifteenth season of The Voice - La plus belle voix on TF1 used four Solid St...

16/07/2026

Gray Media and Atlanta Hawks Announce Georgia-Wide Broadcast Partnership for 2026-27 NBA Season

Gray Media and the Atlanta Hawks have announced a broadcast partnership that wil...

16/07/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Quarterback Showrunner Joe Zucco on Cinematography, Building Trust, Carrying On the NFL Films Legacy

Season 3 of Netflix's docuseries, which dropped this week, follows Jayden Da...

16/07/2026

Texas Rangers Switch Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Partner to BZZR

The Texas Rangers and Rangers Sports Network presented by Progressive (RSN) have announced BZZR as the new direct-to-consumer distributor for Rangers game broad...

16/07/2026

FIFA World Cup 2026: BBC Sport on Moving Across the Pond to Bring the Atmosphere of the Final Matches to Fans

With England's FIFA World Cup 2026 team getting ready to fly home after losi...

16/07/2026

With 36 Unilateral Cameras, NBC Sports Shapes 154th Open Championship Coverage for U.S. Viewers

In a return to Royal Birkdale, the team enjoys partnering with ETP and Gravity M...

16/07/2026

Altitude Sports & Entertainment's Tim De Lay on New SkyCam Digital Feed, Upgraded Studio Space

Along with a new studio at Ball Arena, the Colorado-based RSN is working with XR...