There's a 'robot slur' inspired by Star Wars being used to insult AI

Critics of artificial intelligence have a new insult for the fast-developing technology inspired by the Star Wars franchise.

Fans of the popular science fiction series will know that "clanker" is what battle droids are referred to as, especially in the Clone Wars, and this word has been adopted by those weary about the continued influence AI is having on our society.

From more people relying on AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, to Grok, AI's negative environmental impact, to the rise in AI deepfakes, causing misinformation and deception, it's easy to see why there are concerns around artificial intelligence.

This insult can be seen in online discourse, where critics are opposing tech figures such as Tesla and xAI's Elon Musk and OpenAI's Sam Altman, who are promoting the AI they're developing.

In one instance, a retro-style diner has been opened in California by Tesla, where there is an Optimus robot serving customers popcorn, a role a human would typically be paid to do.

"If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, @Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes," Musk said.

However, not everyone is on board, as in one viral tweet, a user referred to the Optimus robot as a "f***ing clanker".

"If I go to a theater and see a f***ing clanker trying to serve me popcorn I’m leaving immediately," they wrote, and it's a sentiment shared as the post got 287,000 likes

"When u call customer support and a clanker picks up," another person posted, with the Jose Mourinho headphones meme, which has got over 192,000 likes.

"Clanker be damned that boy can dress," someone else said in response to a video of a robot wearing human clothes that's being tested in China, and this post received 198,000 likes.

Star Wars fans have also noticed the widespread adoption of the term outside the franchise.

"I unironically love that people have adopted 'clanker' from The Clone Wars to derogatorily refer to AI and robots. George Lucas’s legacy really does only continue to grow," one person said.

"Anyone else notice that the term 'Clanker' is being used as a derogatory term for AI? Star Wars really gets everywhere," a Star Wars update account added.

Should we be using the 'slur' to refer to AI?

There are some who are more apprehensive about using the term that has been referred to as a "slur for robots".

"I’m not calling robots THAT. All of you are getting cancelled in 10 years time," one person said in a viral post with 117,000 likes.

A second person added, "Whites are getting a little too slur happy with this 'clanker' nonsense but maybe im too woke."

"I just know theres gonn be a day where they try to cancel you for saying clanker," a third person added.

A fourth person commented, "Star Wars did give us a slur for robots (clankers) but I don’t use it bc I don’t want to have to look a robot in the eye in fifty years and be like 'you don’t understand it was a different time…'" which now has nearly 66,000 likes.

What do you think?

Elsewhere, AI cannot 'understand' language at all, and 'Desperate': Trump's AI Obama clip slammed amid Epstein files fallout.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.