In 2023, the term “artificial intelligence,” or AI, has been named the “word of the year” by Collins Dictionary.
People are talking about AI more than ever, with its usage increasing fourfold this year.
This recognition shows how AI has become a significant topic of discussion.
Collins Dictionary considered other words like “ultra-processed” and “Ulez,” but AI stood out as the word that captured the most attention.
Alex Beecroft, the managing director of Collins, mentioned that AI has been the subject of many conversations this year.
He explained, “We know that AI has been a big focus this year in how 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.”
BBC News reached out to AI chatbot ChatGPT for a comment, and it stated, “AI’s selection as the word of the year by Collins Dictionary reflects the profound impact of artificial intelligence on our rapidly evolving world, where innovation and transformation are driven by the power of algorithms and data.”
The announcement from Collins coincides with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosting a summit involving world leaders, tech leaders, academics, and AI researchers.
They aim to discuss how to maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing the risks.
In the music world, even the Beatles have utilized AI to recover John Lennon’s vocals from an old cassette to create their “Last Song,” set to release soon.
However, not everyone is a fan of AI, as Sir Cliff Richard mistakenly referred to it as “artificial insemination” during a BBC interview.
The word of the year typically reflects the key topics of that year. In 2022, it was a “permacrisis,” referring to the constant political upheavals in British politics.
The year before, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) were a major talking point, and in 2020, “lockdown” took center stage.
Other words considered for the 2023 Word of the Year by Collins include:
- Bazball – an exciting and aggressive style of cricket, named after England head coach Brendon McCullum, known as Baz.
- Canon event – an event that plays a crucial role in shaping a person’s character or identity.
- Debanking – the act of denying banking services to a person, like Nigel Farage.
- Deinfluencing – advising social media followers to avoid specific products or lifestyle choices.
- Greedinflation – the practice of using high inflation as an excuse to increase prices artificially and boost corporate profits.
- Nepo baby – a person seen as benefiting from nepotism due to having famous parents.
- Semaglutide – a medication used to control appetite and manage high blood sugar.
- Ultra-processed – food prepared using complex industrial methods from multiple ingredients, often with little or no nutritional value.
- Ulez – an acronym for ultra-low emission zone, where only low-polluting vehicles can enter without paying a fee.
