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Original · left

Model (replica or person)

A physical miniature replica of an object, or a person employed to display clothing.

First in use: the 1500s
Duplicate · right

Model (AI)

A mathematical representation trained on data to recognize patterns, make predictions, or generate novel content.

First in use: c. 1959

Model / Model (replica or person) / Model (AI)

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Canonical todayMeasuring…
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Duplicate share · 12 mo—
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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Runways and replicas vs. weights.

Which meaning of Model is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Model (replica or person) came first (the 1500s). Model (AI) arrived in 1959. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Model (replica or person)Model (AI)
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

Share-of-attention line loads here.

The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1500s

Model (replica or person)

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12-mo pageviews—
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Duplicate · c. 1959

Model (AI)

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More duplicated terms

AI & machine learning