VOA词汇掌故2023--AI, Hallucinate, Authentic or Rizz for Word of the Year

AI, Hallucinate, Authentic¹ or Rizz for Word of the Year

As the year 2023 comes to a close, English language dictionary publishers are announcing their choices for word of the year. The words usually come from popular usage, news events, or things that are on people's minds.

AI

Collins, a British publisher, has named "AI" as its word of the year for 2023. AI, short for artificial intelligence, is a term that describes "the modeling of human mental functions by computer programs."

AI is increasingly becoming a part of everyday life. Just this year, the Beatles released a song with help from AI. The American toy company Mattel now uses AI to design new toy cars. A Kuwaiti news organization used AI to create "Fedha", a female presenter² to read the news. AI has also been used to identify an asteroid³ that could one day present a threat to Earth.

One of the best-known AI programs is ChatGPT. The program can have a discussion with people, write books, and create images. The program learns from a large database of books, online materials, and other media.

It can produce human-like writing. But, sometimes, its writings are not correct or do not make sense. When artificial intelligence produces such information, people say that the program has "hallucinated."

Hallucinate

The British dictionary publisher Cambridge chose "hallucinate" as its word of the year. It says the word "gets to the heart of why people are talking about AI."

To "hallucinate" means to seem to see, hear, feel, or smell something that does not exist. But when used in connection to AI, it means to produce false information.

Cambridge says, "generative AI is a powerful tool but one that we're all still learning how to interact with safely and effectively." The publisher adds that "AI hallucinations remind us that humans still need to bring their critical thinking skills to use these tools."

Authentic

The American publisher Merriam-Webster chose "authentic" as its word of the year.

Merriam-Webster says it has seen a major rise in searches for "authentic" in 2023. The publisher says the searches are driven by "stories and conversations about AI, celebrity⁴ culture, identity, and social media."

Authentic has several meanings, including "not false," "true to one's own personality" and "made or done the same way as an original."

With the rise of artificial intelligence, Merriam-Webster says the line between "real" and "fake" has become increasingly unclear.

Other words Merriam-Webster considered include "deepfake," "coronation," "indict⁵" and "rizz."

Rizz

The editors of the Oxford⁶ dictionary left the selection for Word of the Year to language lovers.

Over 30,000 people voted and selected four finalists for word of the year. They were "Swiftie" (fans of Taylor Swift), "situationship" (an informal romantic or sexual relationship), "prompt" (an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program), and "rizz."

If you are not familiar with "rizz," it is time to learn its meaning. It is Oxford's word of the year. "Rizz" is believed to come from the word "charisma⁷." Oxford says it means having "style, charm or attractiveness." It can also mean the "ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner." The word is popular among Generation Z -- people born during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

"Rizz" can be used as a verb, too. To "rizz up" means "to attract, seduce⁸, or chat up (a person)."

Oxford editors said they chose "rizz" as "an interesting example of how language can be formed, shaped, and shared within communities, before being picked up more widely in society."

Words in This Story

asteroid – n. any of the small rocky celestial⁹ bodies found especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter

celebrity – n. a famous or celebrated¹⁰ person

original – adj. relating to or being the origin or beginning

coronation – n. accession to the highest office

indict – v. to charge with a crime by the finding or presentment of a jury (such as a grand jury) in due form of law

seduce – v. to persuade to do wrong : to persuade to have sexual intercourse

1 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

2 presenter   

n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者

参考例句：

• Most people think being a television presenter is exciting.很多人认为当电视节目主持人是一件刺激的事情。
• The programme dispensed with its most popular presenter.这个节目最受欢迎的主持人被换掉了。

3 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

4 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

5 indict   

v.起诉，控告，指控

参考例句：

• You can't indict whole people for the crudeness of a few.您不能因少数人的粗暴行为就控诉整个民族。
• I can indict you for abducting high school student.我可以告你诱拐中学生。

6 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

7 charisma   

n.(大众爱戴的)领袖气质，魅力

参考例句：

• He has enormous charisma. He is a giant of a man.他有超凡的个人魅力，是个伟人。
• I don't have the charisma to pull a crowd this size.我没有那么大的魅力，能吸引这么多人。

8 seduce   

vt.勾引，诱奸，诱惑，引诱

参考例句：

• She has set out to seduce Stephen.她已经开始勾引斯蒂芬了。
• Clever advertising would seduce more people into smoking.巧妙策划的广告会引诱更多的人吸烟。

9 celestial   

adj.天体的；天上的

参考例句：

• The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
• Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。

10 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。