Latest news "AI era" is the "word of the year" 2025 in Germany
"KI-Ära" has been named "Word of the Year" 2025 in Germany. According to the jury of the German Language Society in Wiesbaden, the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) stands for an "epochal change, comparable to the Industrial Revolution".
05.12.2025, 10:38
SDA
"The term AI era is short, understandable and emotionally charged," said Andrea Ewels, Managing Director of the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS). The word is a strong symbol for the opportunities and risks associated with this technology and is therefore ideally suited to represent the mood and topics of the year 2025, Ewels added.
The scientific jury awarded second place to the term "deal", one of US President Donald Trump's favorite words. "He uses the word for trade, customs or foreign agreements, which he presents as successes," explained the GfdS Managing Director. For his supporters, he is signaling energy, while critics see superficiality and showmanship.
In third place in the "Words of the Year" category was "Land against peace". The expression stands for the demand that Ukraine must accept territorial losses to Russia in order to reach a peace treaty
Frequency is not decisive
The jury reviewed several thousand suggestions from the media and submissions for the ranking list of ten terms. "We select the words of the year according to clear criteria: They must be socially relevant, reflect key political and social debates and stand out linguistically," explained Ewels. "The decisive factor is not whether a term occurs particularly frequently, but whether it reflects the year particularly succinctly - in its mood, its conflicts and its public discussions."
The GfdS is a politically independent association for the cultivation and research of the German language based in Wiesbaden. The "Word of the Year" was first chosen by the association in 1971 and has been awarded regularly since 1977. The jury is made up of linguists, media experts and the main board of the association.
