If you often find yourself doomscrolling on social media, it is likely you have encountered a new parodic trend on artificial intelligence: videos about “clankers.” In these videos, “clankers,” “wirebacks” and countless other phrases are used as slurs against AI, often within the context of a skit. At a first glance, the joke is relatively harmless. AI has become an increasingly polarizing topic, especially due to students’ reliance on it in schools and universities. It follows smoothly that some people would take to the internet to make fun of it. But when viewing these videos with greater scrutiny, it becomes less clear what they are parodying. While the “robophobia” trend might seem harmless, it is a thinly-veiled attempt to reenact real-world bigotry by the groups that originally carried out the discrimination it parodies.
The most problematic aspect of the trend is the fact that most of the videos barely relate to AI, but instead are short-comedy reenactments of Jim Crow era oppression. But how exactly did the hatred for AI take this specific course? Why was it that the content immediately mirrored the racism that African Americans have experienced and still experience? A likely source for the racialization of AI discourse is identified by pop-etymologist Adam Aleksic, who explains that the term “clanker” originates from people feeling that they needed a slur for AI.
Aleksic also points out that the proliferation of the word is rooted in its similarities to the n-word, fundamentally linking the hatred of AI to racism against African Americans. Over time, content creators began orienting the jokes in their videos as direct references to the discrimination that Black Americans have faced. Some internet users have rightfully reported discomfort at seeing these jokes online, even more so because of the fact that many are made by white users. In reality, these superficial skits to address the dangers of AI are just an outlet for bigots to say slurs with plausible deniability.
At their very core, “robophobic” jokes hinge on the assumption that there is a logical comparison to be made between the plight of African Americans and the rise of AI. The jokes are born out of “amused racial contempt,” and more often than not normalize the racist imagery invoked within them. Historically, racist humor was limited to far-right online circles; however, the widespread nature of the “robophobia” trend reveals that racist thoughts and imagery reside within the greater internet subconscious. The implications of “robophobic” jokes are clear: African Americans are comparable with something non-human. With the rise of casual racism online, the proliferation of such a horrible comparison can only make the internet more toxic.
However, this toxicity does not stay on the web. Even if users primarily interact with racism online, it becomes normalized both on social media and in real life. College students and individuals aged 18-29 are disproportionately exposed to platforms like TikTok where casual racism occurs, making college campuses especially susceptible to normalized racism.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of users themselves to call attention to the radicalization of their space. Chances are, if you are a Brown student reading this, you’ve seen one of the aforementioned “robophobic” videos. You might’ve sent it to a buddy, got a quick chuckle out of it or even saved it. It’s likely many readers have even caught themselves making use of the popular AI slurs. However, as a community defined by its openness and diversity, we as Brunonians should be careful when engaging in a trend so clearly rooted in racism. Bigotry has no home on our campus, and it should have no home in our humor either.
Avery Kaak ’29 can be reached at avery_kaak@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
