Did... AI write this?
Collins Dictionary has named
AI, the abbreviation of
Artificial Intelligence, as its word of the year for 2023.
According to Collins, the term describes "the modelling of human mental functions by computer programs". They added that the term has seen "rapid development" in 2023.
The rise of AI language models like
ChatGPT has increased the usage of the word enormously over the last year, with big developments in the technology gaining huge media coverage.
"We know that AI has been a big focus this year in the way that it has developed and has quickly become as ubiquitous and embedded in our lives as email, streaming or any other once futuristic, now everyday technology," Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said.
“Use of the word as monitored through our Collins Corpus is always interesting and there was no question that this has also been the talking point of 2023.”
Collins Dictionary announces other Word of the Year contenders
Other words in the running for the esteemed prize were "
nepo baby", a newly popular way to describe children of celebrities who have succeeded due to their parent's fame, and "
de-influencing", meaning to "warn followers to avoid certain commercial products."
"
Greedflation", meaning companies making profits during the cost-of-living crisis, and "
ultraprocessed", meaning food prepared using complex industrial methods from multiple ingredients, often including ingredients with little or no nutritional value were also mentioned.
"
Canon Event", a phrase meaning an event that is essential to the formation of an individual’s character or identity, also made the list.
Last year's winning word was "
permacrisis", defined as "an extended period of instability and insecurity".
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