May I have a word: BOTulism toxin
Joyce Bohnen, of Newton, suggested
AInxiety
. And Joanne Cote, of Lakeville, wrote: 'Just the thought of the mix of feelings about the help coming from AI assistants makes me
screamish
.'
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John Massaro, of Wells, Maine, did mention the phrase 'from the dazzling to the downright dreadful' that was in the request but went on: 'In the latter case ('downright dreadful'), after I have succumbed to the temptation to take the easy AI way out and am feeling guilty — and stupid in doing so — I feel I have been
robotomized
.'
Trish Vickery, of Wrentham, wrote: 'My suggestion is
BigBother
or
bigbother,
as a reference to Big Brother.
In her request, Martha digressed to advocate that we write the acronym
Ai
rather than
AI
, on the grounds that in some typefaces the latter looks too much like the first name
Al —
and a few readers took her up on her recommendation.
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Ken Pogran, of Lexington, suggested: 'The word Martha is looking for is
anxAiety
(pronounced 'angs-eh-EYE-uh-tee' and following the 'Ai' capitalization suggestion).' And Diane Tosca, of Taunton, wrote: 'Ai gives me
info-itis
as its verbiage is sometimes as inflamed as my joints. I do agree that the 'intelligence' portion should be lowercase, as there seems to be more of the 'artificial' portion.'
Norm Quesnel, of Framingham, proposed: '
AI of mystery
. This is from
air of mystery
, minus the
r
, as in, What kind of response will it provide? Will it be useful and valid? Where did it come from?
'An alternative would be
AIxcitement
: What response will my AI provide? Dazzling or dreadful? More than one person will tell you they used AI for help coming up with their terms.'
Well, one did. Mark Lin, of Worcester, wrote: 'Of course, it made sense to ask ChatGPT if it could coin a word, so I gave it the prompt, verbatim from your August 3 column.
'Here is ChatGPT's answer: 'How about
techsistential
? It combines
tech
with
existential,
capturing that feeling of unease and awe that comes with the rapid advances in AI. It conveys the sense of wonder but also the existential questions — both the promises and the potential risks — AI brings with it. It's that mix of fascination, fear, and curiosity, all wrapped up in the uncertainty of how AI will impact us.'
Harry Eisenberg, of Wayland, said that AI use makes him 'feel
discomBOTulated
. A little good, a little worried.' And Kate Loosian, of Arlington, proposed:
'BOTterflies
: the combination of joy and creeping anxiety one feels when AI assists in making our lives easier.'
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Since it was Martha Barnette who asked for this word, she gets to choose the one to earn bragging rights. She reported: 'I like
AInxiety
as a means of summing up my feelings about Ai, but the word itself is a bit unwieldy and challenging to pronounce. I'll give a grudging honorable mention to
techsistential,
only because it's a handy descriptor for the dread I feel — but grudging because I couldn't possibly let my frenemy ChatGPT triumph!
'I'm going with
discombotulated
. It's an easily understood extension of
discombobulated
, and something about its playfulness is at least a wee bit reassuring that we humans will figure out the highest and best use of this technology that, like it or not, seems here to stay.'
So
discombotulated
and its coiner Harry Eisenberg earn bragging rights. Well done, Harry! And thank you, Martha!
Now Jeremy Sanderson, of Needham, writes: 'When you visit their homes, many people ask you to take off your shoes before walking around inside. They consider it a sensible sanitary measure, and respectful. It's also common in some cultures. Yet some visitors find it unnecessary and annoying. Whatever you think of it, I'm looking for a name for this custom.'
Send your ideas for Jeremy's word to me at Barbara.Wallraff@globe.com by noon on Friday, Aug. 22, and kindly tell me where you live. Responses may be edited. And please keep in mind that meanings in search of words are always welcome.
Barbara Wallraff is a writer and editor in Cambridge. She writes
on Substack.
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