‘AI’ is Collins Dictionary Word of the year 2023

The Collins dictionary shortlisted many words before AI was selected and that is not the only word influenced by technology and digital culture. You probably already know what an influencer is in the context of social media. The same probably goes for other associated words like mega-influencer, micro-influencer, and maybe even nano-influencer.

But the Collins dictionary shortlisted something else for word of the year 2023 — “deinfluencing.” That, according to the diction refers to when influencers use their power “to warn followers to avoid certain commercial products, lifestyle choices, etc.”

The modern obsession with health and wellbeing was also at the forefront when it came to selecting word of the year. “Ultra-processed” made it into the shortlist, meant to denote foods which are “prepared using industrial methods” and are often made of “ingredients with little or no nutritional value.”

Some of the major health risks posed by ultra-processed foods include obesity and diabetes. Interestingly, the name of a drug that is sometimes used to treat both of those ailments also made it to the list—”semaglutide.”