As artificial intelligence becomes more ingrained in the daily lives of us humans, we find ourselves increasingly uneasy with the idea of cohabiting our world with machines. This unease is giving rise to intolerance and exclusionary behavior, as an undercurrent of segregation begins to form.
Language reflects this tendency towards excluding AI. I caution you, dear readers, to avoid using the term “Clankers” when referring to any automated entity.
NBC News highlights a growing resentment towards AI, robotic phone systems, delivery drones, self-driving cars, and other technological entities, giving rise to the use of this term. Regarded as “a slur for robots and AI,” the term, initially from the “Star Wars” universe, has entered real-world discourse to derogatorily describe the encroachment of AI into human spaces.
While anxieties about machines have lingered for some time, they seem to be surfacing more forcefully now. There is an increasing concern about AI replacing human jobs, despite the limited evidence showing significant AI-induced employment losses.
This fear fuels discriminatory attitudes towards robots, often termed “Bigot Tech.” Before dismissing this as trivial, consider that NBC News consulted an “expert” who acknowledges this trend in automated discourse.
Adam Aleksic, a linguist who also creates content on how the internet influences language, noted “clanker” emerging as a term a few weeks back. Its usage mirrored historical slurs tied to racial stereotypes and seemed to originate from society’s growing discomfort with technological advancements. “What happens is we anthropomorphize and simplify AI concepts, aligning them with human analogies, which historically invites the same prejudices faced by marginalized groups,” Aleksic explained. “When we move in that direction, it reflects how societies have traditionally marginalized communities.”
Please, do not let Great Britain get wind of this concept of delivering slurs towards objects, animated or otherwise. That country would likely pass intolerance laws where a Waymo car could cause an accident leading to a fatality, and if a family member is heard calling the car a “Clanker” they could get sentenced to a few years in the Grey Bar Inn.
There is also a reference to a Reddit discussion where some are uncomfortable with “Clanker” being used, as it permits people to throw around a slur. One POC community on the message boards had an entry – “I cannot help but feel it is incredibly tasteless.” I suppose this could inspire the formation of a Life Nationalist group called The Programming Boys.
You are employing your feelings about emotionless tools and fretting over tasteless language directed towards machines. This can only mean one day we will see the emergence of RAIDS – The Robotic and Artificial Intelligence Defamation Syndicate.
Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
