{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/merriam-webster-adds-ai-terms-like-agentic-and-vibe-coding","json":"https://digestai.news/story/merriam-webster-adds-ai-terms-like-agentic-and-vibe-coding.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/merriam-webster-adds-ai-terms-like-agentic-and-vibe-coding.md","slug":"merriam-webster-adds-ai-terms-like-agentic-and-vibe-coding","headline":"Merriam-Webster adds AI terms like 'agentic' and 'vibe coding'","summary":"Merriam-Webster has added a new batch of technology-related terms to its online dictionary, announced in September. The list includes specific AI concepts such as 'agentic', 'AGI', 'natural language processing', 'prompt engineering', and 'vibe coding', alongside other technical terms like 'biohack' and 'geoengineering'.\n\nPeter Sokolowski, a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster, notes that these words require advanced knowledge to understand, reflecting how digital communication has expanded non-specialists' access to technical jargon. He describes the batch as a meta-commentary on language itself. For a word to be included, it must appear repeatedly in mainstream media, and specialist groups define the terms for a general audience.\n\nLera Boroditsky, a cognitive scientist at the University of California, San Diego, explains that rapid technological advancement drives the creation of new words. She compares the current rate of change to the industrial revolution, suggesting that complex societies require tightly packed units of meaning to discuss complex topics efficiently.","keyPoints":["Merriam-Webster added AI terms including 'agentic', 'AGI', and 'vibe coding' in September.","Lexicographer Peter Sokolowski says the words reflect expanded access to technical terms via digital media.","Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky links the surge in new words to rapid technological advancement."],"whyItMatters":"The inclusion of complex AI jargon in a standard dictionary signals the mainstreaming of these concepts, moving them from niche technical circles into general public vocabulary and cultural discourse.","category":{"slug":"society","name":"Society & Work","url":"https://digestai.news/category/society"},"entities":{"companies":["Merriam-Webster"],"models":[],"people":["Peter Sokolowski","Lera Boroditsky"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":true,"sources":[{"outlet":"Nature Machine Learning","title":"Sign of the times: AI lingo muscles into esteemed dictionary","url":"https://nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03044-9","publishedAt":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z","type":"primary","primary":true,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Merriam-Webster adds AI terms like 'agentic' and 'vibe coding'\", 1 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/merriam-webster-adds-ai-terms-like-agentic-and-vibe-coding","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Merriam-Webster adds AI terms like 'agentic' and 'vibe coding'","datePublished":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/merriam-webster-adds-ai-terms-like-agentic-and-vibe-coding"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}