What? No. I Am a Real Person

About

What? No. I Am a Real Person, refers to a catchphrase and viral audio clip of a robot telemarketer insisting that she is a real person when asked if she's real by a caller, also refusing to say the sentence, "I'm not a robot." The audio clip was originally posted to Soundcloud and shared in a TIME article in 2013, also being uploaded to YouTube that year. The audio then became the subject of animations throughout the 2020s, inspiring a TikTok lip dub trend in 2023.

Origin

On December 9th, 2013, Soundcloud^[1] user zekejmiller uploaded a recording of TIME Washington Bureau Chief Michael Scherer talking with a robot telemarketer attempting to sell him health insurance (shown below). The clip was uploaded for use in a December 10th TIME^[2] article titled "Meet the Robot Telemarketer Who Denies She’s A Robot," where Scherer and several other TIME reporters' calls with the telemarketer are shared to highlight the bizarre interactions with the robot and how it refuses to admit it's not a real person. The recording gained over 777,000 plays in 10 years. On December 13th, YouTuber^[3] Luso uploaded the clip, garnering over 300,000 views in the same span of time.

When Scherer asked point blank if she was a real person, or a computer-operated robot voice, she replied enthusiastically that she was real, with a charming laugh. But then she failed several other tests. When asked “What vegetable is found in tomato soup?” she said she did not understand the question. When asked multiple times what day of the week it was yesterday, she complained repeatedly of a bad connection.

As early as 2022, the audio clip became the source of animations on YouTube. The earliest known example was uploaded by YouTuber^[4] Shell Katz on January 2nd, 2022, garnering over 3.4 million views in a year (shown below).

Spread

On March 13th, 2023, TikToker^[5] @spacecatfromzolar posted a video edit using a remix of the audio, garnering over 6.1 million views in eight months (shown below, left). The original sound started to see use in lip dubs throughout the year, often where the user applies a creepy filter as they dub to the audio. For example, on August 23rd, TikToker^[6] @kaisokol.official posted a lip dub that gained over 10 million views in three months (shown below, right).

On September 4th, YouTuber^[7] GeriStrawberry posted an animation set to the audio, garnering over 249,000 views in two months (shown below, left), On September 7th, YouTuber^[8] Yimmy posted an animation that gained over 60,000 views in the same span of time (shown below, right).

On November 13th, TikToker^[9] @blondeicedcoffee posted a video lip dubbing to the audio using an uncanny valley filter, garnering over 16.8 million views in a week (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References