“There’s artificial intelligence and then there’s actual intelligence.”

Merriam-Webster pulled off a uncommon web feat this week: making dictionaries go viral.

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Merriam-Webster determined to poke enjoyable at AI hype with a brand new video this week asserting its newest version. The dictionary’s account posted a slick, 35-second announcement that originally seemed to be like another AI tech rollout.

What was Merriam-Webster’s huge “AI” announcement?

The submit on X learn, “We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.” Purple gradients, floating buzzwords, and dramatic narration offered the phantasm that it was a real collaboration with an LLM. 

The male voice-over within the video sounded robotic, just like these generated by AI. He mentioned, “It is the dawn of the AI era, and we are proud to introduce our latest large language model. This LLM has over 217,000 rigorously defined parameters. It never hallucinates. It does not require a data center and uses no electricity. It’s a powerful tool that will change how you communicate forever.” 

However, the twist got here midway by means of when the video revealed a rotating 3D picture of the twelfth version Merriam-Webster dictionary. A lady’s voiceover drove the purpose house: “There’s artificial intelligence and then there’s actual intelligence.”

In the corporate’s press launch on Sept. 25, 2025, it shared that there have been some 5,000 new phrases added to this most up-to-date version of the dictionary that has been round for the reason that late 1800s.

“[T]he Twelfth Edition features over 5,000 new words (including cold brew, farm-to-table, rizz, and dad bod), 1,000 new phrases and idioms, enhanced entries for the top lookups, and more than 20,000 additional usage examples.”

There have been loads of viewers who clicked away earlier than the reveal, which led to some anticipated confusion. The reply that Merriam-Webster observed, nonetheless, was X person Megan (@dxxzaii), who requested, “Where is the data stored then?”

The dictionary’s account responded cheekily, “On pages made of paper and then hopefully your brain.”

The reply rapidly gained traction as folks responded and reposted it. Moreover, when Megan later poked enjoyable at themselves by calling their very own query idiotic, Merriam-Webster defended them, saying, “Don’t talk about our friend Megan like that. You’re smart.”

Reactions throughout X confirmed appreciation for the video’s tone. @destiny_thememe wrote, “In a world of ai slop, be a merriam webster.” Meanwhile, @DamnDude030 known as it, “a top tier jester that boiled our blood just [right].”

Additionally, Merriam-Webster stayed lively within the thread, liking feedback and replying with humor. To one person who posted a joking meme in appreciation, the account mentioned, “We tried to like this twice.”

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