“Clanker,” “AI Slop,” and More: How We Talk About Tech Fails Now!
Let’s be real: the tech world is weird right now. On one hand, we’ve got AI generating endless images, videos, and text. On the other, every week some startup promises to “change everything” with a brand new gadget that ends up ‘not’ doing much at all.
So it’s no surprise people have started coming up with words to call out all this chaos. And honestly? They’re kind of perfect. From mocking AI’s messy outputs to dragging overhyped “innovations,” these phrases sum up exactly how a lot of us feel about tech in 2025.
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1. The Rise of “AI Slop”
You’ve probably heard this one floating around online. AI slop is what people call the bland, repetitive, or just plain bad content pumped out by generative AI. Think distorted hands in AI art, chatbot text that loops forever, or videos that look impressive at first glance but fall apart if you actually watch them. Slop is everywhere—and the internet is tired of pretending it’s gourmet.
2. Meet the “Clanker”
Then there’s the clanker. It’s the word for tech that just… doesn’t work right. Clunky software, glitchy robots, devices that make a lot of noise but achieve nothing. The name says it all—it’s that tech that rattles around loudly but never delivers.
3. Old School “Snake Oil”
This one’s been around for years, but it’s still spot-on. Snake oil is used for products that promise life-changing innovation but turn out to be a scam—or at least massively overhyped. In the age of AI, blockchain, and “smart everything,” there’s no shortage of snake oil salesmen trying their luck.
4. “Canaries in the Coal”
Not as funny, but definitely useful. Canaries in the coal are the warning signs—those little red flags that a new app, platform, or tool might be heading toward disaster. Like when you try a new AI tool and it crashes instantly. Yep, that’s a canary.
5. ‘Brainrot’
Not all tech insults target machines—some hit us, the users. Brainrot is a genre that usually targets the autistic/neurodivergent audience with a good taste.
Why Do People Love These Terms
Part of the reason these words stick is because they capture what so many of us are already thinking. The tech industry is obsessed with terms like —“disruption,” “innovation,” “revolutionary”—but people aren’t buying it anymore. Instead, we’re giving things nicknames that cut right through the hype.