‘Authentic’ Named Word of the Year as AI Blurs Line Between Real and Fake
A virtual friend is seen on the screen of an iPhone.
Photographer: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Merriam-Webster Inc. chose “authentic” as its word of the year, highlighting how misinformation on platforms like Elon Musk’s X Corp. and the rise of artificial intelligence have made it harder to assess what’s real and what’s fake.
“The line between ‘real’ and ‘fake’ has become increasingly blurred,” Merriam-Webster’s Editor at Large Peter Sokolowski said in a statement. “As a result, in social media and marketing, authentic has become the gold standard for building trust.”