In the age of AI, 'authentic' becomes Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year

Merriam-Webster, the esteemed American publishing house known for its dictionaries, recently declared the results of its annual Word of the Year contest. This year's results were astonishing owing to a "significant increase" in web searches over the previous year.

The dictionary declared "authentic" as the word of the year for 2023, embodying "genuine" or "real". The publishers revealed specific reasoning behind this choice. The interest in the word ties in with the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and the proliferation of social media platforms.

Merriam-Webster noted that the word "authentic" is loaded with meanings which has spurred widespread interest. Although it merely signifies something is true, it also correlates to aspects like tradition or national identity.

The term "authentic" is equally applicable to cuisine or dish, a voice or an appearance. The rapid progression in artificial intelligence technology has made internet users question whether the content they come across is genuine or AI-generated.

Other notable words for 2023 include "rizz", echoing charisma, and "implode", associated with the disaster involving the submarine Titan. "Coronation" also ranked among the popular words of the year, given its association with the increased curiosity surrounding the royal family.