Plain English
Knowledge cutoff
The date a model’s training data ends. It knows little or nothing about what happened after.
The point in time after which a model has no information from its training. Unless the assistant searches the web or you give it documents, it won’t know about newer events, prices or rules.
Why it matters
Anything that changes (prices, laws, product details, news) may be out of date in an answer. Look for a cited, dated source, or check it yourself.
At work
Ask about a tax rule that changed this year and you may get last year’s answer, stated with confidence. Check it against a current source.
Think of it like a friend back from a year at a remote research station: sharp on everything up to the day they left, blank on what happened since.
Related terms
Where it appears