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Axios
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
"Clankers": A robot slur emerges to express disdain for AI's takeover
AI is everywhere whether you like it or not, and some online have turned to a choice word to express their frustration. Why it matters: Referring to an AI bot as a "clanker" (or a "wireback," or a "cogsucker") has emerged as a niche, irreverent internet phenomenon that illuminates a broader disdain for the way AI is overtaking technology, labor, and culture. State of play: The concerns range from major to minor: people are concerned that AI will put them out of a job, but they're also annoyed that it's getting harder to reach a human being at their mobile carrier. "When u call customer service and a clanker picks up" one X post from July reads, with over 200,000 likes, alongside a photo of someone removing their headset in resignation. "Genuinely needed urgent bank customer service and a clanker picked up," reads another from July 30. Here's what to know: Where "clanker" comes from Context: The word is onomatopoeic, but the term can be traced back to Star Wars. It comes from a 2005 Star Wars video game, "Republic Commando," according to Know Your Meme. The term was also used in 2008's Star Wars: The Clone Wars: "Okay, clankers," one character says. "Eat lasers." Robot-specific insults are a common trope in science fiction. In the TV Show Battlestar Galactica, characters refer to the robots as "toasters" and "chrome jobs." "Slang is moving so fast now that a [Large Language Model] trained on everything that happened before... is not going to have immediate access to how people are using a particular word now," Nicole Holliday, associate professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley, told Rolling Stone. "Humans [on] Urban Dictionary are always going to win." How people feel about AI Anxiety over AI's potential impact on the workforce is especially strong. By the numbers: U.S. adults' concerns over AI have grown since 2021, according to Pew Research Center, and 51% of them say that they're more concerned than excited about the technology. Only 23% of adults said that AI will have a very or somewhat positive impact on how people do their jobs over the next 20 years. And those anxieties aren't unfounded. AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs — and spike unemployment to 10-20% in the next one to five years, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told Axios in May. And the next job market downturn — whether it's already underway or still years off — might be a bloodbath for millions of workers whose jobs can be supplanted by AI, Axios' Neil Irwin wrote on Wednesday. People may have pressing concerns about their jobs or mental health, but their annoyances with AI also extend to the mundane, like customer service, Google searches, or dating apps. Social media users have described dating app interactions where they suspect the other party is using AI to write responses. There are a number of apps solely dedicated, in fact, to creating images and prompts for dating apps. Yes, but: Hundreds of millions of people across the world are using ChatGPT every day, its parent company reports. What we're watching: Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Jim Justice (R-WV) introduced a bipartisan bill last month to ensure that people can speak to a human being when contacting U.S. call centers. "Slur" might not be the right word for what's happening People on the internet who want a word to channel their AI frustrations are clear about the s-word. The inclination to "slur" has clear, cathartic appeal, lexical semantician Geoffrey Nunberg wrote in his 2018 article "The Social Life of Slurs." But any jab at AI is probably better classified as "derogatory." "['Slur'] is both more specific and more value-laden than a term like "derogative," Nunberg writes, adding that a derogative word "qualifies as a slur only when it disparages people on the basis of properties such as race, religion, ethnic or geographical origin, gender, sexual orientation or sometimes political ideology." "Sailing enthusiasts deprecate the owners of motor craft as 'stinkpotters,' but we probably wouldn't call the word a slur—though the right-wingers' derogation of environmentalists as 'tree-huggers' might qualify, since that antipathy has a partisan cast."
Newsweek
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
There's Already a Slur for the AI Taking Peoples' Jobs
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A growing wave of online anger at artificial intelligence has birthed a new term for machines taking over workplaces: Clanker. Borrowed from "Star Wars" lore and repurposed by Gen Z, it has quickly become shorthand for AI systems and robots seen as displacing human workers. Originally a derogatory nickname used by clone troopers for battle droids in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," the word has found new life in meme culture and labor discourse. TikTok videos now feature users yelling "clanker" at delivery bots on sidewalks, while social feeds buzz with jokes about "anti-clanker sentiment" and "the coming clanker wars." "Everyone just collectively decided, 'yep, this is what we will now call the robots,' and immediately began slandering them," Mashable's Chance Townsend wrote about the trend. On TikTok, the hashtag #clanker has amassed millions of views in just weeks. One viral clip shows a user leaning out of a car window to shout, "Get out of the way, clanker!" at a food delivery robot, racking up over 4.8 million views. Another, captioned "me and twin beating the clanker my daughter brought home," shows a group of streamers pushing around a humanoid robot in a skit equal parts sci-fi dystopia and family comedy. Memes riff on the joke with parody "C-word passes," granting "one use of the word clanker." Others joke about "robot racism" and whether future generations will have to apologize to their AI overlords for their past bigotry. The joke has even reached Washington. Senator Ruben Gallego referenced the term in a post, using "clanker" to promote a bill that would let people bypass automated phone systems, like the ones increasingly taking over corporate customer service lines. "My new bill makes sure you don't have to talk to a clanker if you don't want to," he wrote, sharing a meme that used the word as shorthand for robots. Sick of yelling 'REPRESENTATIVE' into the phone 10 times just to talk to a human being? My new bill makes sure you don't have to talk to a clanker if you don't want to. — Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) July 30, 2025 The AI Labor Disruption Is Here Beneath the gallows humor lies a major economic shift. Gen Z—the demographic fueling the meme—is also the generation most exposed to the AI-driven transformation of work. Born between 1997 and 2012, they are entering a labor market where entry-level roles, traditionally the first rung on the career ladder, are vanishing to automation. Numbers suggest the joke isn't far from reality. Unemployment among recent college graduates has surged to 5.8 percent, a level considered unusually high. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York warned the job market for these workers has "deteriorated noticeably." Appotronik Apollo humanoid robots are working shifts at Mercedes' Berlin factory. Appotronik Apollo humanoid robots are working shifts at Mercedes' Berlin factory. Eileen Falkenberg-Hull/Newsweek An analysis by Revelio Labs found that postings for positions heavily exposed to AI tasks dropped by 31 percent after the release of ChatGPT in 2022, compared to a 25 percent decline in roles with low AI exposure. That sense of inevitability is what gives "clanker" its edge. What began as satire has become shorthand for a generation watching the ground shift beneath their feet. Experts warn of a collapse in entry-level hiring as AI reshapes work. Dario Amodei, Anthropic's CEO, recently predicted AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years. "Entry-level jobs tend to involve routine, well-defined tasks—exactly the kind of work current AI systems are best suited to automate," Daniela Rus, director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, told Newsweek. The shift is being embraced by some of the country's most labor-intensive employers. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently told employees that AI is now in "virtually every corner of the company" and predicting "we will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today." "The robots are coming," Adam Dorr, director of research at the think tank RethinkX, told Newsweek. "They're coming for everyone's jobs." 'No Escape' Not everyone is laughing along at the "clanker" memes. Some TikTok users have wondered whether the slur is crossing into darker territory. For Dorr, the memes around "clankers" are an early cultural echo of a larger disruption. In his interview with Newsweek, he warned the changes will come faster than most expect. "Disruptions don't take 50 or 100 years," he said. "They take 15 to 20 years. Sometimes even faster." His research suggests robots will erode jobs task by task rather than replacing them one-to-one. "There is no long-term escape from this. By the 2040s, there will be almost nothing a robot cannot do that a human can," he added. Public opinion on the AI revolution remains split. A June YouGov survey found 47 percent of Americans believe AI's overall impact on society will be negative, but the share who fear it will reduce jobs in their industry has dropped sharply—from 48 percent in 2024 to 31 percent in 2025. Among weekly AI users, optimism outweighs fear: 51 percent believe AI will benefit society, compared to 27 percent who view it negatively. Carter Price, a senior mathematician at the RAND Corporation, took the more optimistic route, suggesting that while AI may eliminate some tasks, it could also create demand for more workers elsewhere. "These tools are more likely to replace tasks than entire jobs," Price told Newsweek. "That might mean you need fewer people to do the work, or it could mean you need more because productivity rises when low-value work is handled by machines." Whether AI-powered robots ultimately replace or augment the bulk human labor remains to be seen, but the rise of "clanker" has already sparked a cultural debate. For those who have added the term to their lexicon, satire and seriousness blur together. It's a joke born of humor but grounded in economic reality. And for Gen Z, the punchline is often the same: if the bots are coming for their jobs, at least they coined the term for it.
Perth Now
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Star Wars actress Katee Sackhoff promises series return amid The Mandalorian and Grogu rumours
Katee Sackhoff has promised that her 'Star Wars' character Bo-Katan Kryze will appear again in the future. The 45-year-old actress portrayed the Mandalorian warrior in TV shows like 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars', 'Star Wars: Rebels' and 'The Mandalorian', and has now confirmed fans haven't seen the end of the character. Speaking to Screen Rant, Sackhoff said: "You will see her again in some form. That's all you need to know. [Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer] Dave Filoni cannot get rid of me, because Bo-Katan is based off of his wife, so I've got some job security." Bo-Katan had been rumoured to be involved in 'The Mandalorian and Grogu', though Sackhoff insisted she "has not been in the armour in 2025". Even so, the character may still appear in the upcoming movie, as filming for 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' wrapped in December last year. As well as Sackhoff, Giancarlo Esposito - who portrayed Moff Gideon in 'The Mandalorian' - recently teased his 'Star Wars' villain may return in some capacity in the future. He told Empire magazine: "There is a big movie coming out that's focusing on Mando and The Child. I can't say it'll be that. "But I hope to be able to join that franchise again, because I think there's more road for Moff Gideon." The 'Breaking Bad' actor, 67, also said he believed 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' could be the start of a new 'Star Wars' trilogy. Speaking at Dragon Con, he said: "As in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney will figure out how to join all of these characters into one really great movie or TV show. That's my sense of where it will go. "Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have a new vision, continuing on with a 'Mandalorian' movie. My sense is that it's all going to converge at one point or another and we're going to have another set of… [a] trilogy, or more, of films." 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' will see Pedro Pascal reprise his role as the titular warrior alongside Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White in another galaxy-spanning adventure. While 'The Mandalorian' will finally be making its cinematic debut with 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' next year, Jon Favreau - who co-directed and co-wrote the show and movie with Filoni - admitted he "felt disappointed" the sub-franchise couldn't initially be shared on the big screen. He told Collider: "The big difference is the amount of construction you can do. "The process is so long compared to television that you can plan, look at it, discuss, use multiple stages, indoor and outdoor sets, do construction, you can do stop-motion. There are a lot of things that you have an opportunity to do because of the timeframe that you would never be able to do to the same extent on a small screen. "Although I'm very proud, I have to say that whenever we looked at the stuff that we made for the show, or in an environment where we shared it with fans, it always felt cinematic. "I felt disappointed that we couldn't share it with more people that way."
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Superstar Comic Con brings fan favorites to Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Get ready to get geek out May 3rd and 4th at the Superstar Comic Con at the Savannah Convention Center. This year's special guest is actor Sean Astin, best known as Samwise Gamgee in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. He's also starred in 'The Goonies,' 'Encino Man,' 'Stranger Things,' 'Rudy' and most recently the final season of 'The Conners.' Other guests scheduled to appear are Johnny Yong Bosch (Power Rangers), Ray Park ('Darth Maul' 'Star Wars: Episode I — the Phantom Menace'), Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano, 'Star Wars' franchise), Cat Taber ('Star Wars: The Clone Wars'), James Arnold Taylor (Final Fantasy X'), Matt Lanter ('Star Wars: The Clone Wars'), Danhausen (professional wrestler), Lenore Zann ('X-Men' series), Alyson Court ('Beetlejuice,' 'X-Men: The Animated Series'), Adrian Hough ('X-Men'), Matthew Waterson ('X-Men'), Ray Chase ('Final Fantasy XV'), Edwin Galmon (SCAD, sequential/comic artist) and Jacob Edgar (comic book artist and writer). In addition to a cosplay contest and an extensive list of exhibitors, there will be workshops led by SCAD Sequential Art professors. You can also attend panel discussions with many of the special guests, including a special Star Wars panel on Sunday, May 4th ('May The 4th Be With You' Day). Get your tickets to Superstar Comic Con here. (Kids under 10 get in free.) **Enter code 'WSAV' at checkout and save $5. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Perth Now
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Matt Lanter is set to become a father for the second time
Matt Lanter is set to become a father for the second time. The '90210' star, 42, and his wife Angela's brood is expanding with a rainbow baby due "late summer". The couple - who are already parents to seven-year-old daughter MacKenlee - shared their baby joy on Instagram by sharing a video reap of their love story so far, including their wedding in 2013. Ashley Eckstein, Matt's co-star on 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars', commented: "CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! WE ARE SOOOO HAPPY AND EXCITED FOR YOU!!!!!!!!" His '90210' cast mate, Tristan "Mack" Wilds, penned: "WHY AM I CRYING?!!!? congrats, you two!!!" Their little girl has already been preparing for the new arrival. Angela shared to her profile: 'Lanter- party of four [heart hand emoji] Our rainbow baby is coming late summer and we couldn't be more excited. Kenny is taking her role of big sister very seriously and with good reason… She's been praying for a sibling for years. She's already practicing holding her baby dolls and supporting their heads like a good big sister. [heart hand emoji]." 'Timeless' star Matt gushed about becoming a dad for the first time in an interview with People: "I have a sister. I grew up in a great family and have always seen that as something that I've wanted to do. I want to play catch with my kid. 'I want to kick the soccer ball with my little girl. So yeah, I'm excited.'
