Artificial intelligence inspires Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year

The Cambridge dictionary announced this Wednesday (15) the word of the year chosen for 2023. With ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) tools becoming popular, the dictionary’s choice is related to the insurgent theme: “hallucinate“, from English “hallucinate“.

The topic was determined because, according to the dictionary’s organizers, artificial intelligence continues to be a constant topic of discussion. “The explosion in the use of tools that create things with AI is a phenomenon”, explains the post that announced the new word of the year.

“The surge in interest this year has been generated by a plethora of tools released to the public, such as CHatGPT, Bard, DALL-E and BingAI, all of which rely on large language models (complex mathematical representations of language based on large amounts of data). and that allow computers to produce language that is similar to what a human would say”, explain the organizers.

The Cambridge Dictionary #WordOfTheYear2023 is…🥁

‘hallucinate’ (verb): When an artificial intelligence hallucinates, it produces false information.

🏆 Find out more about #hallucinate ⬇️ https://t.co/R3dLwBfN0V#CambridgeWOTY pic.twitter.com/Z8nRw9IfHI

— Cambridge Dictionary (@CambridgeWords) November 15, 2023

“With this new technology comes a new language”, they explain. Throughout 2023, the Cambridge dictionary added new definitions related to AI, such as LLM “large language model”, generative AI and GPT. “Many existing words, such as ‘hallucinate’, received additional meanings related to artificial intelligence this year”, they explain.

Therefore, it is not because the tools will make you “hallucinate”. According to the organizers of the dictionary, “in 2023, it became clear that this newly available technology is far from perfect as it is capable of producing false information – ‘hallucinations’ – and presenting them as facts.”

Finally, the Cambridge Dictionary team reported that they chose “hallucinate” because they recognize that the new meaning goes to the heart of why people talk about artificial intelligence. “Generative AI is a powerful tool, but we are all still learning how to interact with it safely and effectively, which means being aware of both its strengths and weaknesses,” he concludes.

*Published by Giovanna Bronze