As a lifelong storyteller, I find I am fascinated by how artificial intelligence can be approached as a standard thesaurus, helping me remember meaningful words I have laid aside over the decades, or introducing me to words I may have overlooked.
I think it can make me a better writer, though you might think that I am just surrendering my muse.
I’ve learned that AI will answer any query, but it is up to me to critically dissect what it says to determine if it is, truly, correct. To me, that’s a bonus, because it requires me to edit the AI, to analyze what is being funneled back to me, and to sometimes actually tell AI that it is wrong, and to cite examples to it. (And I have done that.)
However, for word usage, AI is fascinating.
I began this essay wanting to write about how I am reacting to age—my age—while also acknowledging I am still very much the child/boy/youth/teen/miscreant/soldier/newlywed/thirty-something/editor/father/muddled/greying/balding/tooth-losing/arthritis-aching/widowed/ear-hair-harvesting fellow who has looked out from these eyes at the world for 65 years.
I was stuck for a word. So I asked AI: “Help me find a word to express my slow but steady process of aging out of middle age and into my late 60s.”
The reply is comprehensive, which I have come to realize is standard from AI, giving me a variety of options from which to choose. It also attempts to explain the reason behind the suggestions.
‘The Most Precise Terms,” AI shared, are Emerging Elderhood: Defined as the period roughly between 55 and 75, this term refers to the transition from midlife, navigating new identities and realities without implying frailty; Seasoning/Seasoned: This suggests you are becoming more experienced, refined, and better with time, similar to a “fine wine;” or Maturing: A positive, neutral term for the organic process of growing older.
Behind door number two, AI offered “The Best Metaphors,” which were Unfolding: A gentle, positive term indicating that you are not fading, but rather transitioning into a new form or stage; Ripening: Focuses on becoming fuller, wiser, and more complete; and Settling: This signifies letting go of the need to chase the next big thing and allowing life to become more stable, deep, and comfortable.
AI also suggested a “Slow and Steady Feel,” including Mellowing: Implies a softening of edges, less frantic energy, and more enjoyment of life; Evolving: Highlights the ongoing, continuous, and positive change; and Cultivating: Suggests you are intentionally nurturing your life, health, and wisdom.
Finally, AI suggested “For the 60s Context,” Sexagenarian: A neutral, technical term for someone between 60 and 69 years old, and Vitality: Focusing on the energy and health you are maintaining while entering this new decade.
In conclusion, AI offered a Summary Recommendation: If you want a term that acknowledges the transition, “Emerging Elderhood” is excellent. If you prefer a metaphor for the gentle, personal journey, “Unfolding” or “Settling” fits well.
(Gosh. The pre-teen watching out of these 65-year-old eyes immediately thought that Sexagenarian had to be the word I was seeking.)
When I was young, I often knew I could find Peter, one of my older brothers, reading. He read all the time, so I did, too.
I don’t recall him ever saying, “Hey, you’d like this book,” but I always perused his bookcase, where I came to discover “The Short Stories of Saki” (H.H. Munro), O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), and a wide range of other writers.
I would also pick up his copies of TIME magazine, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report.
Once, at dinner, it appeared Peter was reading a paperback. I asked what it was, and he showed me the cover: “The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus.”
Which sort of fits. Read enough, or become enamored with words and storytelling, and you’ll find yourself at the dining table reading a thesaurus. If you have absolute nothing to read, you’ll read the cereal box. You’ll read anything.
That’s why I reached out to AI. Turns out, it is something interesting to read.
Within limits, it seems quite useful.
It has also likely read the cereal box.
—Jonathan Austin