Are We Being Mean to Robots? The Rise of ‘Clankers,’ AI Slurs, and the Ethics of Punching Down
About this episode
Jenny and Greg Swan explore the ethics of discrimination against robots and the implications of using slurs like 'clanker'.
Are we being mean to robots? Is it just internet snark or the start of something deeper and more dangerous? In this episode, Jenny and Greg Swan explore the sudden rise of “clanker” as an anti-robot slur. They dig into whether discrimination toward AI is harmless fun, a new moral frontier, or just a mirror reflecting how we treat anything with less power than us (including each other). Along the way they unpack science fiction, Star Wars lore, power dynamics, Ray Kurzweil’s predictions, and why your Roomba probably deserves a little more respect. 🤖 What “clanker” actually means and where it came from (thanks, Clone Wars) 🧠 Why people are projecting emotions onto robots — and then getting mad at them 🪞 The ethics of punching down and what it says about us as humans 🧼 How to be nice to your robot vacuum and why it matters more than you think 🧩 The Singularity, sentience, and whether AI slurs could become digital abuse 🔧 “NPCs,” “meat puppets,” and the language we use to dehumanize each other 🏆 WWOPD: What Would Optimus Prime Do? This convo will have you rethinking how you talk to Alexa, your self-checkout kiosk, and maybe even your toaster. Because in the future, kindness…
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