Definition
Fine-tuning is further training of an already-trained model on a smaller, specialized dataset so it performs better on a particular task or domain. Company records are often licensed for fine-tuning rather than for training a model from scratch.
Why it matters when licensing company data
A fine-tuning license is usually narrower than a general training license: it can be limited to one model, one task or one customer deployment. The license should say whether the fine-tuned model may be used or sold after the agreement ends.
See training vs retrieval data licenses and the data licensing agreement checklist.
Source
Google Machine Learning Glossary: fine-tuning. Definition reviewed November 7, 2026 by Origin Data Partners.