Collins Dictionary’s 2025 Word of the Year list perfectly encapsulates society’s divided soul regarding technology. The winner, “vibe coding,” represents the boundless optimism of the AI revolution, while its main competitor, “clanker,” embodies the deep-seated anxiety and distrust that technology evokes.
“Vibe coding” celebrates a new frontier in software development. It’s the art of using natural language and AI to build applications, making coding as simple as describing a feeling or an idea. Coined by AI pioneer Andrej Karpathy, it promises a future where technology bends to human intuition, lowering the barrier to creation. Its selection as word of the year highlights the excitement around generative AI.
On the flip side, “clanker” gives voice to the resistance. This derogatory term for computers, robots, and AI, which originated in Star Wars, went viral as a way for people to express their frustrations with buggy chatbots and the perceived threat of AI. It’s a term of distrust, pushing back against the very systems that enable “vibe coding.”
This tension is mirrored elsewhere in the list. “Biohacking,” the alteration of one’s natural processes for health, shows a desire to use tech to control our biology. Conversely, “broligarchy,” a name for the tech elites, reveals suspicion about the concentration of power in the hands of those who control these new tools.
This year’s list is more than a collection of new words; it’s a linguistic snapshot of our central cultural conflict. We are simultaneously embracing AI as a creative partner (“vibe coding”) while fearing it as a cold, untrustworthy machine (“clanker”).