Ranveer Singh's Rizz, Dystopian Yamuna and Deadname of a transgender boy: Words of the Year
In a world troubled by AI, deepfakes and engineered facts, Merriam-Webster has picked 'authentic' as the word of the year for 2023 to acknowledge a chasing after authenticity in our words and deeds. "We see in 2023 a kind of crisis of authenticity," editor at large Peter Sokolowski told AP. "We sometimes don't believe our own eyes or our own ears. We are now recognizing that authenticity is a performance itself." Here are the words that made the list and the photos that make them
Image: Madhu Kapparath
1. AUTHENTIC
Ustad Rashid Khan sings Raga Malkauns (vilambit khayal in ektaal "Per na jaane re balama" from the album The Genius of Ustad Rashid Khan) at the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi, March 12, 2023. Authentic has several meanings, including "not false or imitation," a synonym of real and actual, and also "true to one's own personality, spirit, or character."
Image: SUJIT JAISWAL / AFP
2. RIZZ
Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh charms Alia Bhatt onstage as showstoppers for fashion designer Manish Malhotra's creations at The Bridal couture show in Mumbai on July 20, 2023.
(L) Social media influencer Zara Patel in the original video. (R) The deepfake video of Rashmika Mandhanna
3. DEEPFAKE
A video of actor Rashmika Mandhanna entering an elevator, dressed in a black body-hugging yoga suit, went viral earlier this year. The original video was of social media influencer Zara Patel, and the deepfake video was morphed to show Mandhanna's face. The incident has triggered a state enquiry into AI and its potential consequences in the future.
