The advent of artificial intelligence and its subsequent perpetual growth have already seen their fair share of controversy. Each day, AI advances, taking over functions that humans have performed for years. While the popular tool serves some functions well, it has started to fall out of favor in the public eye.
As disapproval for AI and robotic tools rises, a slur for them has emerged — “clanker.” This term originated from the “Clone Wars” series. Its introduction represents a shift in public perception of AI towards strong disapproval.
Many have expressed concerns about AI and the impact its more recent development is currently wreaking. Critics have raised concerns about job losses, biases and privacy, while others criticize the environmental havoc that AI usage causes. These all carry serious ramifications capable of affecting the lives of billions. In the midst of the ongoing debate on ethically using AI, the term “clanker” has ironically been used to make light of a heavy situation. The term, however, may have a deeper meaning signaling a fear of the future.
By applying a slur to robots and AI, a dimension of humanity is given to them. Slurs inherently ostracize and discriminate against people who do not fit in with the in-group. By giving one to robots, they become personified, as those using the slur recognize them as having enough consciousness to be credited with such a word.
The acknowledgment that AI has developed so far that it has gained a near-human existence is bone-chilling. All across the media, users have recognized the tool as such and joined in on the “clanker” joke — but using this word suggests that people will one day, if not already, feel the need to oppress robots as the minority. It will be a new era of the fear of the other among humans, as robots will be akin to people. It does not seem like a joke when many recognize this could manifest into a larger struggle in the near future.
One TikToker posted a video imitating a bigoted father being forced to host his daughter’s new boyfriend, whom he clearly disapproves of — but in this video, the boyfriend is a robot. He uses the term “clanker” and makes puns targeted at the robot boyfriend, but it seems too real when such videos seemingly predict the future. This is one of many videos in this TikTok genre where users allude to a possible future where robots and AI act as humans, doing intrinsic human things like dating.
“Clanker” may seem like a funny joke on the surface to poke fun at robots, but its meaning goes far deeper than just that. It is indicative of the media’s awareness of how far AI has developed. A future in which AI and robots are capable of taking over much more than just jobs, but relationship and familial roles as well, places them in a hierarchical society that is reserved for humans. This technology has aided humans in small tasks and integrated itself into modern culture. The slur is a manifestation of fear and an omen of what may happen if AI is not regulated before it further advances.
