People online are calling bots “clankers.”
The insult came from Star Wars, but now it’s what people say anytime a machine gets in the way of an actual human.
Scroll through social media and you’ll see it everywhere. Someone calls their bank in a panic, only to get stuck with a chatbot. Another person’s trying to sort out a phone bill, and the “clanker” won’t transfer them to a real rep. Those posts rack up likes because we’ve all been there.
But underneath the jokes is real anxiety. Surveys show most people feel more worried than excited about AI. Barely anyone thinks it’ll make jobs better long-term. And some experts say millions of entry-level roles could disappear in the next few years.
I feel that fear too. It’s impossible not to. The difference is I’m also excited. Because while one group is stuck calling bots clankers, another group is figuring out how to use AI and getting ahead.
We’ve seen this movie before. TV was supposed to rot people’s brains. The internet was dismissed as a fad. Even the iPhone was mocked as a gimmick. Every time, the people who adapted early ended up with the advantage.
So you can keep making fun of clankers if you want. Just don’t be shocked when the people who actually learned the tools are the ones who stay relevant.
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