Foreign media outlets are reporting on the emergence of derogatory terms coined to describe artificial intelligence enthusiasts and machines equipped with AI.
A growing number of English-language publications, including Dazed, are highlighting the rise of disparaging neologisms used to refer to artificial intelligence, robots, and their ardent supporters. Among these emerging slang terms, «clankers» is one of the most widely recognized. Literally translating to something like «clanker,» its more informal meanings include «metal junk» or «bucket of bolts.»
In various corners of the internet, «clankers» has already transformed into a popular meme. Users share videos of themselves reacting with expletives to passing delivery robots or stage comedic sketches where a «roboracist» on an airplane refuses to sit alongside an android, disparaging it with «the C-word.» These skits frequently draw upon tropes and historical parallels from American racism against Black individuals.
The lexicon of these so-called «neuro-Luddites» extends to other creative terms, such as «botlicker.» This term is a clear reference to «bootlicker,» but with «bot» replacing «boot,» and is directed at devoted AI fans or professionals in the field. Even harsher slang exists, like «groksucker,» which alludes to Elon Musk`s Grok chatbot while also sounding strikingly similar to a well-known English expletive. Further examples include «ChatNPC,» for an avid AI user perceived as lacking personality or free will, and «second-hand thinker,» for someone who has seemingly forgotten how to think independently.
Assessing the true scale and genuine intent behind this «neuro-Luddite» movement remains challenging, as much of the content appears to be created with irony. Nevertheless, with the increasing integration of neural networks into daily life and business, the demand for harsh vocabulary to describe chatbots and robots could become a tangible reality. And when job displacement occurs due to AI-driven process optimization, individuals will certainly know precisely who to curse: those accursed clankers, damn them all.
