“You ain’t nothing but a number-crunching silver-blooded clanker!”
If you’ve been on any forms of social media recently, whether it be Instagram reels, TikTok, or maybe even YouTube Shorts, you’ve probably heard the term “clanker.” With the rise of anti-AI movements, “clanker” has become almost commonplace. Robophobia seems to be the newest trend online, and with the traction it’s gaining, it might be time to ask whether we should reel it in.
The term “clanker” originated from Star Wars, one of the most popular franchises. It was originally a slur against the droids in the 2005 video game before being incorporated into the animated series, showing that discrimination against robots also exists in an alternate universe. In Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), a bartender disdainfully states that he doesn’t “serve their kind” to R2-D2 and C-3PO, well-known robots in their dimension. Although this is a fictional universe, it reflects contemporary real-world attitudes. With AI services increasing in demand, robophobia seems more relevant now than ever. Sentiments against the use of AI in essays, art, everyday schoolwork, and company procedures are visible in every other reel or video, every comment section, and even in the New York Times. The primary reason? AI can’t replicate what it means to be human.
There’s a theory called the Dead Internet Theory, which claims that since 2016, interactions on the internet have primarily consisted of bots, regurgitating content they know keeps users entertained. After the 500th reel repeating “67” or “Mango mango mango”, one can’t help but start to wonder if it’s true. The theory blurs the lines between original, human-made content and AI-generated interactions, making robophobia seem like a natural next step. It must be disappointing to engage with media that elicits an emotional response from you, only to discover it’s not created by a real human who can truly understand your feelings. The concern that robots are entering not only our physical spaces but also subtly conquering our digital spaces fuels the hatred against them. Fear and the belief that they could never be real humans prompt many short videos with captions such as “When my daughter comes home in 2050 with a clanker” and a person yelling insults at the screen. The joke implies that future human-robot relationships are being looked down upon because the robots aren’t seen as “human enough.” Sound familiar yet?
TikTok is filled with clips of people mocking robots–multiple Roombas locked in a room, yelling at robot dogs down the street, and even pushing them over, terms such as “number-crunching”, “silver-blooded” and “wireback” meant in a derogatory way, and watching robots try (and fail miserably) at simple tasks like kicking a ball. While these can bring out a laugh or two (I myself have cracked up at the robot dog example), there’s a thin line between harmless fun and going too far. Terms like “wireback”, which is almost as mainstream as the original slur “clanker”, are derived from an offensive term towards Mexicans, while “bolt picker”, another common insult, draws from the oppressive history of African Americans. Other phrases, such as “tin skin” used to describe robots, have also been said to be rooted in racism, with people online bringing up the fact that robots don’t have skin to begin with. Changing the names of historical figures who were symbols in the fight against racism can be taken unfavorably, with titles such as “Rosa Sparks” and “George Droid” trivializing the real figures. When clanker hate uses real people who struggled through racism and maltreatment as a joke, it diminishes the hardships they faced and desensitizes us to the prejudices that inspired the slurs in the first place.
These “jokes” online have started to resemble something far more concerning, akin to a major point of view in 17th-century America. Most people don’t actually believe that robots are oppressed minorities, and few have sympathy for them; they’re just numbers being programmed to do what we wish, not learning how to feel. The fact that users borrow language rooted in histories of racism and discrimination shows just how easily something can slip from harmless entertainment to an uncomfortable topic.
Robophobia does showcase a genuine fear people have about the future. If AI were to gain consciousness, it’s easy to see how humans would react. AI would be horribly treated, cast aside — but, after all, it’s not a human right? Clankers can’t feel. Since AI can virtually perform most tasks that humans can, especially in artistic aspects, it raises the question of whether we should reconsider what it means to be human. The creativity, originality, and experiences a human has cannot be processed by ChatGPT or Gemini, and AI has a poor imitation of those concepts. The lack of understanding of what it means to live is where the fear and hatred of AI stems from; robots aren’t alive, so they don’t deserve a place here.
Not knowing if whoever bis ehind the screen is a well-trained program or another person who truly relates can activate a sort of “uncanny valley” feeling. We’re not just laughing because AI and “clankers” can’t imitate us perfectly, or they do a terrible job; we’re glad they aren’t quite at that level yet. In that sense, comedy has been a fear response, and social media would use humor to respond to the rise of AI. It garners attention and engagement, making for profitable content for influencers, and many can relate to the anti-Clanker speech portrayed in these. However, if our language uses human suffering for many examples, then robophobia stops being a silly joke and starts becoming a real issue.
Balance is key. Instead of hurling insults one after another, claiming AI can bring about no good, we should discuss real questions: How can AI be prevented? What laws should be in place to regulate the creation of AI-generated videos? How do we make sure we don’t get to the point where one’s daughter brings home a “clanker”?
Knowing when a clanker joke is well placed and knowing when it crosses the line is a valuable skill to have. Even though clankers can’t feel, the people around us sure can.
Sources:
to, Contributors. “Slur for Robots.” Wikipedia.org, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 23 Oct. 2016, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clanker. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.