{{Short description|Slur for robots and AI software}} {{pp-pc|small=yes}} {{use mdy dates|date=August 2025}} {{use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Italic title}}
'''''Clanker''''' is a derogatory term for robots and artificial intelligence (AI) software.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-04-07 |title=Definition of 'clanker' |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/clanker |access-date=2026-04-11 |website=Collins English Dictionary |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-08 |title=clanker |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/clanker |access-date=2026-04-11 |website=Merriam-Webster |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |title=Clankers in the Cultural Imagination: Online Robophobia and Its Implications for Human-Robot Interaction |quote=Common themes include fears about humans in romantic relationships with robots, and frequent use of derogatory terms such as "clanker" to verbally "dehumanize" robots. |conference=International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction |page=1313 |last1=Rosén |first1=Julia |last2=Bach-Luong Tran |first2=Phillip |last3=Geiskkovitch |first3=Denise |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3757279.3788820}}</ref> The term has been used in ''Star Wars'' media, first appearing in the franchise's 2005 video game ''Star Wars: Republic Commando''. In 2025, the term became widely used to express hatred or distaste for machines ranging from delivery robots to large language models. This trend has been attributed to anxiety around the negative societal effects of AI.<ref name=":0" />
==In science fiction== [[File:2021-10-31 10-11-37 sf-connexion-Colmar.jpg|thumb|"Clanker" is used in the ''Star Wars'' franchise to refer to battle droids.<ref name="Townsend" />]] The term has been previously used in science fiction literature, first appearing in a 1958 article by William Tenn in which he uses it to describe robots from science fiction films like ''Metropolis''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction: clanker |url=https://sfdictionary.com/view/3048/clanker |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=sfdictionary.com}}</ref> The ''Star Wars'' franchise began using the term as a slur against droids in the 2005 video game ''Star Wars: Republic Commando'' before being prominently used in the animated series ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', which follows a galaxy-wide war between the Galactic Republic's clone troopers and the Confederacy of Independent Systems' battle droids.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Eli |date=2025-08-31 |title=How 'Clanker' Became an Anti-A.I. Rallying Cry |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/technology/clanker-anti-ai.html |access-date=2025-08-31 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref> In ''Star Wars'' media, robots—more commonly known as droids—are routinely depicted as the subjects of discrimination. For example, in the original ''Star Wars'' film, C-3PO and R2-D2 are abducted by Jawas and sold to the family of Luke Skywalker. When visiting a cantina in Mos Eisley, both droids are refused service by the bartender, who remarks that "We don't serve their kind."<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Bacon |first=Thomas |date=2025-07-21 |title=Is 'Clanker' the New AI Slur? The Star Wars Term Making Waves in Tech |url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-clanker-slur-controversy/ |access-date=2025-08-08 |website=Screen Rant |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Gizmodo">{{Cite news |last=Whitbrook |first=James |date=4 August 2025 |title=The 'Star Wars' Slur That Has Been Mainstreamed by Anti-AI Discourse |url=https://gizmodo.com/clanker-explained-star-wars-ai-droids-memes-2000638737 |access-date=6 August 2025 |work=Gizmodo}}</ref> In ''Star Wars'' lore, the term ''clanker'' had entered use by the time of the franchise's High Republic Era and became prominent during the Clone Wars, in which clone troopers regularly use the phrase against battle droids.<ref name="Gizmodo" />
==AI backlash== The growing popularity of the term ''clanker'' reflects an increase in direct contact between people and AI systems.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Jones |first=C. T. |date=2025-08-06 |title=How 'Clanker' Became the Internet's New Favorite Slur |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/clanker-cogsucker-robot-ai-slurs-viral-1235401262/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250806221734/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/clanker-cogsucker-robot-ai-slurs-viral-1235401262/ |archive-date=2025-08-06 |access-date=2025-08-06 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Lalljee |first=Jason |date=2025-08-06 |title='Clankers': A robot slur emerges to express disdain for AI's takeover |url=https://www.axios.com/2025/08/06/ai-chatgpt-star-wars-clankers |access-date=2025-08-07 |website=Axios |language=en |url-access=registration}}</ref> On sidewalks, delivery robots impede mobility and cause safety issues.<ref name=MarxNowhere>{{cite book|last=Marx|first=Paris|title=Road to Nowhere|chapter=The Coming Fight for the Sidewalk|publisher=Verso|year=2022}}</ref> In digital spaces, cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about the rising number of bots online, which now make up a large portion of internet traffic. A 2025 report estimated that about one in five social media accounts are automated.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Abbruzzese |first1=Jason |last2=Wile |first2=Rob |date=2025-08-05 |title=Is an AI backlash brewing? What 'clanker' says about growing frustrations with emerging tech |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/ai-backlash-brewing-clanker-says-growing-frustrations-emerging-tech-rcna222231 |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>
The term is also a reaction to AI advocacy from industrialists like Elon Musk and Sam Altman, who have championed the integration of AI into nearly every aspect of modern life. This includes efforts by major companies and startups alike, such as Amazon's development of humanoid robots to replace human workers in service industries. Such initiatives have further fueled public skepticism, reinforcing the association of ''clanker'' with unease over automation and the displacement of human roles.<ref name="Townsend">{{cite web |last1=Townsend |first1=Chance |title='Clanker' is social media's new slur for our robot future |url=https://mashable.com/article/new-robot-slur-clanker-trending-on-social-media |website=Mashable |access-date=9 August 2025 |date=22 July 2025}}</ref> A global survey conducted by the research firm Gartner in December 2023 found that 64% of customers would prefer companies to avoid using AI in customer service, with another 53% stating they would consider switching to a different company if they discovered AI was handling their service interactions.<ref name=":0" /> Another report by Ernst & Young, published in July 2025, found that 42% of employees across Europe are worried that the use of AI in the workplace may threaten their employment.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Davies |first1=Pascale |title=What is a Clanker and why are people on social media using it as an anti-AI slang? |url=https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/09/02/what-is-a-clanker-and-why-are-people-on-social-media-using-it-as-an-anti-ai-slang |website=Euronews |access-date=15 October 2025 |date=2 September 2025}}</ref>
Criticism has also been directed at the technology itself. Some of the backlash stems from concerns about the resource consumption of AI systems, their frequent reliance on copyrighted material without consent, and questions about the intentions of the corporations behind them. There are also concerns about the potential cognitive effects of relying heavily on AI.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Waite |first1=Thom |title=Clankers, Grokkers and bot-lickers: AI slurs are here to stay |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/68364/1/clankers-grokkers-botlickers-ai-slurs-chatgpt-grok-artificial-intelligence |website=Dazed |access-date=9 August 2025 |date=1 August 2025}}</ref> A study, authored by researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University, warns that regular dependence on AI may leave users mentally unprepared for real-world problem solving, likening the effect to cognitive atrophy.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems|publisher=Association for Computing Machinery|date=2025-04-26|isbn=979-8-4007-1394-1|pages=1–22|doi=10.1145/3706598.3713778|language=en|first1=Hao-Ping|last1=Lee|first2=Advait|last2=Sarkar|first3=Lev|last3=Tankelevitch|first4=Ian|last4=Drosos|first5=Sean|last5=Rintel|first6=Richard|last6=Banks|first7=Nicholas|last7=Wilson|chapter=The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects from a Survey of Knowledge Workers |doi-access=free}}</ref>
In June 2025, United States Senator Ruben Gallego tweeted that his "new bill makes sure you don't have to talk to a clanker if you don't want to", referring to proposed legislation that would require call centers to disclose their use of automated customer service agents to callers in the United States and offer the option to switch to a human representative.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mesa |first=Jesus |date=2025-07-31 |title=There's already a slur for the AI taking peoples' jobs |url=https://www.newsweek.com/clanker-ai-slur-customer-service-jobs-star-wars-2106482 |access-date=2025-08-06 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref>
==Analysis== Linguist Adam Aleksic has described ''clanker'' as an evolution of racial slurs that anthropomorphize robotic systems.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Romo |first=Vanessa |date=2025-08-06 |title=It's 2025, the year we decided we need a widespread slur for robots |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/08/06/nx-s1-5493360/clanker-robot-slur-star-wars |access-date=2025-08-06 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Brittany |date=30 July 2025 |title=There's Officially A Term Used To Insult AI, And You're Going To See It Everywhere |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/clanker-ai-slur_l_68892c48e4b06a2e515cad07 |access-date=8 August 2025 |work=HuffPost}}</ref> Internet memes incorporating the term often reference historical discrimination against marginalized groups such as African Americans.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Based on the work of linguist Geoffrey Nunberg, American news website ''Axios'' has argued that ''clanker'' is merely a derogatory word, rather than a slur, because it does not perpetuate social inequities.<ref name=":4" /> ''NPR'' has noted the irony that the word ''robot'' was coined by Karel Čapek for his 1920 science-fiction play ''R.U.R.'' as a similar criticism of industrialization forcing workers to become devoid of their humanity. Aleksic has observed that ''robot'' can be further traced to the Proto-Slavic noun ''*orbъ'', which means {{gloss|slave}}.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowman |first=Emma |date=2025-09-12 |title=A play about the revolt of human workers — not machines — gave us the word 'robot' |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/09/11/nx-s1-5532095/where-word-robot-came-from-rur |access-date=2025-09-14 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref>
While other science fiction media include pejoratives for androids and robots, such as ''skinjob'' and ''toaster'' from the ''Blade Runner'' and ''Battlestar Galactica'' franchises, respectively, ''clanker'' is believed to have gained popularity because its usage is intuitive and flexible.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Whereas ''AI slop'' describes low-quality output from artificial intelligence, ''clanker'' belittles the underlying computer systems.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=2025-08-06 |title=What's a 'Clanker'? AI critics make it one of the most popular words in the US - why is everyone using it? |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/whats-a-clanker-ai-critics-make-it-one-of-the-most-popular-words-in-the-us-why-is-everyone-using-it/articleshow/123143912.cms |access-date=2025-08-06 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref>
== See also == * {{annotated link|AI slop}} * {{annotated link|AI takeover}} * {{annotated link|Butlerian Jihad}} * {{annotated link|Cultural impact of Star Wars|Cultural impact of ''Star Wars''}} * {{annotated link|Dead Internet theory}} * {{annotated link|Enshittification}} * {{annotated link|Ethics of artificial intelligence}} * {{annotated link|Luddite}} * {{annotated link|Technological singularity}} * {{annotated link|Technophobia}} * {{annotated link|These aren't the droids you're looking for}}
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Generation Z slang}} {{Star Wars}} {{Subject bar|auto=yes|wikt=clanker|portal1=2020s|portal2=Language}}
Category:Generation Z slang Category:Pejorative terms related to technology Category:Star Wars Category:2005 neologisms Category:Science fiction terminology Category:Internet memes introduced in 2025 Category:Technophobia Category:Criticism of artificial intelligence Category:Star Wars fandom