from NBC News

Is an AI backlash brewing? What ‘clanker’ says about growing frustrations with emerging tech 

A slur for robots and AI has emerged online in recent weeks, offering some sense of growing societal anxiety with increasingly capable technology.

By Jason Abbruzzese and Rob Wile

"Clanker" pronunciation and definition, with a robot toy lying on its side.
Tilde Oyster / NBC News ; Getty Images

It’s a slur for the AI age. 

“Clanker,” a word that traces back to a Star Wars video game, has emerged in recent weeks as the internet’s favorite epithet for any kind of technology looking to replace humans. On TikTok, people harass robots in stores and on sidewalks with it. Search interest for the term has spiked. On X, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., used the term last week to tout a new piece of legislation.

“Sick of yelling “REPRESENTATIVE” into the phone 10 times just to talk to a human being?,” he posted on X. “My new bill makes sure you don’t have to talk to a clanker if you don’t want to.”

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