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Robophobia

Part of a series on Internet Slang. [View Related Entries]

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About

Robophobia is a slang term describing the irrational fear of robots. The term has been used throughout the 2000s and became increasingly popular online throughout the 2020s. In 2025, the term and related robophobic terms like "clankers" became increasingly popular with the rise of AI as a way to make fun of AI and robots in general. Some of the most popular memes imagine slurs for robots, including terms like "wireback" and "silver." In September 2025, some internet users criticized TikTok skits that imagined "1950s racism" onto a 2050 future where people are prejudiced against robots. The critics highlighted skits about anti-clanker racism that used terms like "George Droid," "Jamal3000" and "Henny oil."

Origin

It is unclear when the term "robophobic" was first used to describe a fear of robots. One of the earliest known examples of the term's use comes from the January 29th, 1997 Doctor Who episode "The Robots of Death," which features a line of dialogue about robophobia. In the series, it is described as an irrational fear of robots.^[1]^[2]

DOCTOR: Yes, you did. Do you know what's wrong with Poul, Uvanov?
UVANOV: Yes. Robophobia.
DOCTOR: That's right. The Loid call it Grimwade Syndrome.
UVANOV: I have seen it, Doctor, once before. My very first command. A young kid just ran outside the mine. I tried to save him, but I couldn't. I'll never, ever, forget the look on his face.
TOOS: Zilda's brother.
UVANOV: His father, of course, had it all hushed up. He was afraid his son would be thought a coward. But robophobia is a mental thing, right?

Spread

The idea of robophobia continued to spread throughout the 2010s and 2020s, inspiring memes. In 2015, robots-and-androids.com^[3] published a piece explaining the fear of robots. In 2018, the term "clanker," inspired by the Star Wars franchise, became significantly popular on the /r/PrequelMemes subreddit as a slur for droids.

- Anakin Skywalker. I expected someone with your reputation to be a little. older OK, Clanker

2025

In 2025, memes about being robophobic became notably popular online, especially on TikTok, with many referencing AI.

That June, a copypasta about growing up to be robophobic started going viral online. For example, on June 16th, 2025, TikToker^[4] @lottidotti80 posted a video consisting of himself walking under the copypasta, garnering over 700,000 likes in a month. On June 26th, the scoobydoograhamcrackers Instagram^[5] page posted a screenshot of it to over 2,600 likes in a month.

@lottidotti80 #technology #genx #millennial #robot #chatgpt #fypシ゚viral ♬ Breathe (In The Air) [2011 Remastered Version] – Pink Floyd

Several internet users commented on how "anti-Clanker" video content often hinged on existing bigoted slurs or dogwhistles. This trend was especially noticeable in videos where TikTokers mapped "1950s style racism" against Black people onto jokes about being "racist" to Clankers in 2050, calling the robots "wirebacks," "George Droid," "Jamal3000" or joking about them drinking "Henny oil."

On August 20th, 2025, TikToker^[6] @stanzipotenza posted a skit about rejecting a clanker from a diner, using words like "wireback" and telling the would-be-robots to "Go back to Dataville where you belong." The video gathered over 400,000 views and 20,000 likes in two weeks.

On September 2nd, 2025, X^[7] user @yayaaswrlld quoted a repost of the video, writing, "give white people an inch and they take it to the fucking moon bro." The post gathered over 10 million views and 200,000 likes in a day.

give white people an inch and they take it to the fucking moon bro https://t.co/TUmHLYj2mR

— lezzy green lantern (@yayaaswrlld) September 2, 2025

Also on September 2nd, X^[8] user @bottleneckloser tweeted, "And everybody called me crazy. "It’s not that deep" "you're reading too much into it" I am a prophet," in response to a video where TikToker^[9] @samueljacobcomedy called a robot "George Droid," a clear reference to George Floyd. The original TikTok gathered over 800,000 views and 130,000 likes, while the X post gathered over 16,000 likes in a day.

And everybody called me crazy. “It’s not that deep” “you’re reading too much into it” I am a prophet https://t.co/0T0Tf8B0zY

— Sabre (@bottleneckloser) September 2, 2025

Various Examples

@football_drew Robophobia running rampant in clanker society #robot #robophobia #fyp #fypage #ai #clanker #robo ♬ Dust Collector – ybg lucas

@invaderrsin can’t even board the plane #fyp #skit #invadersin #clanker #ai #cyberpunk ♬ Bell Sound/Temple/Gone/About 10 minutes(846892) – yulu-ism project

@groopsk1 good for nothing cl***ers #groopski #robophobic #futuretech #humanityfirst ♬ Bell Sound/Temple/Gone/About 10 minutes(846892) – yulu-ism project

@football_drew Robophobia running rampant in clanker society #robot #fyp #fypage #robophobia #ai #police #cops #robo ♬ Beethoven's "Moonlight"(871109) – 平松誠

Clanker

Clanker is a slang term and a robophobic slur for droids and robots, originating from the Star Wars franchise. In the context of Star Wars, the term derives from the way droids "clank" when they move. After initially appearing in the video game Star Wars: Republic Commando and The Clone Wars in the mid-to-late 2000s, the slang began seeing use online and in memes during the 2010s. In July 2025, the term went viral on TikTok through a series of memes in which AI-powered robots and machines in general, including food delivery robots, are referred to as clankers to show disdain for them. Some memes imagine scenarios where daughters bring their AI boyfriends home and their fathers call them clankers.