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Eric Hal Schwartz

Calling AI chatbots 'Clankers' is clunky and clueless

Microsoft
A protocol droid stands in a desert.

The weirdness of AI discussions in 2025 includes its own set of vocabulary, from AGI to agentic action, but one recently viral bit of slang I just can't stand is "Clanker."

You might see Clanker popping up on Reddit threads, Discord memes, or TikTok video comments as a blanket insult for anything vaguely AI-related. You might hear people call a chatbot interviewer for a job a Clanker, or a customer service rep that turns out to be a synthetic voice that is less than helpful.

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