In a recognition of the transformative power of modern technology, the word “AI,” denoting Artificial Intelligence, has been crowned the preeminent term of 2023 by the distinguished lexicon authority, Collins dictionary.
This accolade was bestowed upon “AI” due to its rapid proliferation and its emergence as the paramount subject of discourse throughout the year. Described as “the modeling of human mental functions by computer programs,” AI’s utilization as an initialism has witnessed a fourfold increase in usage over the past year.
This distinguished designation was culled from a compendium of novel expressions that signify the ever-evolving character of our language and the preoccupations of its users. Among these neologisms are “greedflation,” a concept delineating the employment of inflation as a pretext to artificially inflate prices, consequently boosting corporate profits. Additionally, “debanking” stands as a reference to the act of revoking an individual’s access to banking facilities.
Noteworthy inclusions encompass “Nepo baby,” a term denoting the offspring of celebrities whose career trajectories are presumed to owe their ascent to their renowned progenitors, and “deinfluencing,” defined as the deployment of social media to caution followers against particular commercial products or lifestyle choices.
The word of the year selection process involves diligent lexicographers who monitor a multitude of sources, encompassing social media platforms, to glean the most salient term. In the previous year, “permacrisis” held the title, while “NFT” claimed the distinction in the antecedent year. Remarkably, the word of the year in 2020 was none other than “lockdown,” reflecting the global circumstances at the time.
Health-related lexemes emerged prominently in the vocabulary of 2023. “Ultra-processed,” which characterizes food prepared through intricate industrial methods, often incorporating ingredients of limited or negligible nutritional value, earned recognition. “Semaglutide,” denoting an appetite-suppressing medication, garnered notice, with its usage tripling over the past year.
The acronym “Ulez,” representing the ultra-low emissions zone in central London that restricts more polluting vehicles, also found its place among the noteworthy terms of the year.
A distinctive entry is “Bazball,” a cricketing style marked by aggressive batting, named in honor of former New Zealand cricketer and coach, Brendon “Baz” McCullum. Furthermore, “canon event,” a term signifying an episode pivotal to the formation of an individual’s character or identity, surged in popularity, largely due to the influence of the movie “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
Alex Beecroft, the managing director of Collins, asserted that there is unequivocally no doubt that AI has dominated the conversational landscape of 2023, establishing itself as an integral facet of contemporary life, analogous to the ubiquitous presence of email, streaming services, or other once-futuristic technologies that are now part of everyday existence.
