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Inference

Reviewed 19 July 2026Canonical definitionPart of: Agent Observability Terms →

Inference is the process of running input data through a trained AI model to produce an output: a prediction, classification, or generated text. In agentic systems, every inference call has cost, latency, and governance implications.

§01 / QUESTIONSterm: Inference
Questions

Common questions.

What is Inference?

Inference is the process of running input data through a trained AI model to produce an output: a prediction, classification, or generated text.

How does Inference work?

In agentic systems, every inference call has cost, latency, and governance implications.

Which terms are related to Inference?

Closely related concepts include Model Serving, Agent Classification, AI Governance Analyst, AI Provenance. Each is defined in the Prefactor glossary.

§02 / RELATEDnext: where this fits
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Where this fits.

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