The slur “clanker” is sparking an internet backlash against AI and robots.
Originally from a Star Wars video game, the term has popped up everywhere online over the past few weeks. People on TikTok are yelling “clanker” at robots in stores and on sidewalks. Search interest for the slur has spiked. Even Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) jumped on it, promoting a bill to protect people from having to interact with “clankers.”
A viral TikTok video with over 6 million views shows a small delivery robot getting called a “clanker” repeatedly. Nic, the 19-year-old creator behind the video, said the word is part of a growing frustration with robots replacing human roles. 
Linguist Adam Aleksic points out the term mirrors slurs aimed at marginalized groups but is now being aimed at machines as people anthropomorphize AI. He warns the trend plays into historical tropes of targeting “others.”
> “What we’re doing is we’re anthropomorphizing and personifying and simplifying the concept of an AI, reducing it into an analogy of a human and kind of playing into the same tropes,” Aleksic said.
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> “Naturally, when we trend in that direction, it does play into those tropes of how people have treated marginalized communities before.”
The rise of “clanker” coincides with more AI and robots entering daily life—from Waymo’s driverless cars to food delivery bots crowding sidewalks. Cybersecurity firms warn bots now make up a big chunk of internet traffic, showing how AI is everywhere.
A Gartner report found 64% of customers don’t want companies using AI for customer service, and over half might switch brands if they find out AI is involved. Fear of AI taking jobs continues despite limited evidence of actual losses.
“Clanker” joins other recent anti-AI slurs like “slop,” “tin skin,” and “toaster” (from Battlestar Galactica). Some online communities push back, calling the use of “clanker” tasteless or a shallow way to toss slurs.
Nic acknowledges the term’s contentious nature but sees it largely as a “stupid way of fighting” AI’s growth with some truthful frustration about the future.
> “I see it as being a push back against AI,” Nic said.
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> “A lot of lives are being changed because of robots … and me personally I see it as a stupid way of fighting, but there’s a little truth to it, as well.”
“Clanker” is a fresh sign of the anti-robot backlash bubbling up as AI steps deeper into everyday life. The question now: will the tech world find ways to manage this rising tension before it boils over?
