Following its recognition as the Collins Dictionary word of the year, AI has now made its mark on the Cambridge Dictionary, with a more subtle but profound impact. The focal point is Cambridge's choice for the word of the year in 2023: "hallucinate," an age-old term that has acquired a new meaning. In the latest editions of the Cambridge Dictionary, "hallucinate" now includes an additional definition, "specifically referring to artificial intelligence producing false information in a manner similar to human language".
To elucidate this concept, the dictionary entry provides two illustrative examples. One pertains to LLMs (large language models) being notorious for hallucinating, generating entirely false answers often supported by fictitious citations. Another example acknowledges improvements in the latest version of a chatbot but highlights that it can still hallucinate facts. The subtle but significant shift in the meaning of "hallucinate" reflects the evolving landscape of AI and its impact on language.
This intervention by Cambridge is met with appreciation at TNW Towers, emphasizing the importance of addressing AI's tendency to hallucinate. While some argue that such interventions help mitigate hallucinations, the potential consequences, such as AI providing misleading medical advice or inadvertently promoting malicious code, underscore the need for ongoing vigilance.
Wendalyn Nichols, the book's publishing manager, emphasizes the challenge of managing AI's inclination to hallucinate to maintain user trust. The ability of human experts to track and capture changes in language distinguishes the Cambridge Dictionary as a reliable source, especially for new words and senses that AI tools may not have learned yet.
Beyond the redefined meaning of "hallucinate," AI has left its mark on other terms in the Cambridge lexicon in 2023. Lexicographers have introduced various definitions related to artificial intelligence, encompassing terms like large language model (LLM), generative AI (GenAI), and GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer). Looking ahead, the pace of AI development suggests that the impact on dictionaries in 2024 may be even more profound, with the possibility that AI could invent the next word of the year amid the ongoing generative AI explosion.
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