What is a Clanker and why are people on social media using it as an anti-AI slang?

Copyright File- Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

By Pascale Davies

Published on 02/09/2025 - 

The term is taking off on social media as people grow fed up with AI making things up, sounding too human, and worry about the technology eradicating jobs.

Futuristic scenarios are being painted on social media videos in which hate is rising between humans and so-called “clankers”.

One tongue-in-cheek video illustrates a parent telling their child, “we don’t speak to them,” and another video shows a human telling a robot, “get this dirty clanker out of here!”.

Clanker has become the word that summarises people’s frustrations against artificial intelligence (AI). It is widely used on social media, garnering hundreds of millions of views on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. 

It has even been used by an American senator to promote the regulation of AI chatbots for customer service. 

Where does the term come from?

The term can be traced back to the Star Wars franchise. It is said to have been used in a 2005 Star Wars video game and was also used in the 2008 film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”

"Okay, clankers," one character says. "Eat lasers". 

When Euronews Next asked ChatGPT what clanker means, it referenced Star Wars, saying it was used for “battle droids” to refer to the noise they made, but made no mention of the term being anti-AI. 

Relat

ChatGPT also said clanker was British military slang, referenced a book series by author Scott Westerfeld, and said it was “general slang” for “something that makes a clanking sound, often a machine or even a person with lots of noisy gear”.

AI-powered large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, are trained on data from the internet, it is not always the latest data. This means AI chatbots may not understand emerging slang or the new use of a word. 

AI anxiety

The term’s rise in popularity comes as people grow fed up with AI hallucinations (when AI tools make things up) and as people worry about the technology eradicating jobs, as AI becomes more widespread.

Across Europe, 42 per cent of employees fear that AI could put their jobs at risk, according to a report by EY published in July. 

Relat

Some of the online videos also show a world in which robots and humans live together and have romantic relationships, which comes as a backlash to AI becoming increasingly human-like to the point where people are also reportedly asking chatbots to become their therapists. 

Many of the videos show a dystopian future scenario, with drinking fountains reserved just for “clankers”. But with the pace of AI developing rapidly, that future may not be too far off. 

Why is Scandinavia’s largest international art fair going bananas for Thyra Hilden’s ‘Equal Satire’?

Copyright Anders Kongshaug

By David Mouriquand
Published on 02/09/2025 - 

A new banana-centric artwork by Danish artist Thyra Hilden has been exhibited and sold at Copenhagen’s Enter Art Fair. Here's why it has been one of the standouts of this year's edition.


From Paul Gaugin’s "The Meal" to Banksy’s "Pulp Fiction" via Andy Warhol’s legendary cover for The Velvet Underground & Nico’s 1967 debut album, bananas can be found everywhere in works of art.

Both a convenient yet quickly decaying snack and a sensual, sexually suggestive symbol, the fruit has the power to unsettle, titillate and spark vital conversation.

It hit headlines (and Instagram feeds) in 2019 when renowned conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan created "Comedian" at the Art Basel fair in Miami. The Italian artist simply bought a banana and taped it to the wall with duct tape.

The provocation sparked debate as to the nature and value of art, and by blurring satire and high art, Cattelan spoke to the absurdity of our times.

Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" Sotherby's

"Comedian” sold for $120,000 (€114,000) in 2019 and made headlines once again last year when it was resold at auction for a staggering $6.2 million (€5.8 million).


Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun outbid six other contenders to acquire the fruit-centred work at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, later eating the banana during a press conference in Hong Kong in a stunt drawing a provocative comparison between the artwork and the world of cryptocurrency. Basically, it’s all about abstract concepts.

Now, a new banana-centric artwork by Danish artist Thyra Hilden has been exhibited at Copenhagen’s Enter Art Fair, Scandinavia’s largest international art fair, as an artistic response to Catellan’s “Comedian”.

More than that, the banana cut open to resemble a vulva – titled “Equal Satire” - has sold for precisely $12,869 (€11, 066).

A bit measly compared to “Comedian”, but that’s the point.

"Equal Satire" by Thyra Hilden Anders Kongshaug

"Equal Satire" sells at Enter Art Fair 2025 Anders Kongshaug

Even if “Equal Satire” sold for 40,000 times the value of an actual banana and only 10 per cent of its "male counterpart", it represents the fact that only about 10 per cent of the art market turnover at Sotheby’s and Christie’s comes from works created by women.

“Me and the gallerist have set the price to 10% of the original price of the banana, with the duct tape on the wall, a very famous piece,” said Hilden. “And the 10% comes from that in the big auction houses, Sotheby's and Christie's. And so, it's still only 10% of the turnover that goes to female artists.”

Thyra Hilden Anders Kongshaug

Hilden added that she hopes it will “spread humour and spark discussions around equality."

“I have created this work “Equal satire”, where I have cut a very potent figure into something very feminine and created a feminine force. And it's to spread humour, discussion around equality. It’s about opening dialogue on feminine equality in art.”

Visitors in front of "Equal Satire" Anders Kongshaug

The buyer of “Equal Satire”, Anders Andersen, founder of the office-share company Ordning, stated that he too hopes the conversation will be on Hilden’s central idea behind the artwork.

“It's not worth paying that much amount for a banana, but when you have taken that discussion, then I hope next level will be that you will start to consider what the artist herself wants to tell with this piece of art," Andersen said.

So, art worth going bananas for. Andersen also said he plans to replace the fruit daily.

“In practice, it means I will be the biggest importer of bananas in Copenhagen, because I will have to renew this piece of art - or some of my employees will renew this piece of art - every day.”

"Equal Satire" Anders Kongshaug

This is far from the first time that artists have given a feminist spin to the phallic fruit, as The Guerrilla Girls famously used bananas in protest actions to call out male dominance in the art world.

Women Artists In The Andy Warhol And Tremaine Auctions At Sotheby’s - Guerrilla Girls (1989) Screenshot TATE UK

So, kudos to Enter Art Fair and Thyra Hilden for not only laying bare the seemingly arbitrary nature of how value is assigned to objects and asking the question “Who gets to decide the value of art?” but also reminding visitors that the 10 per cent isn’t just a figure confined to the art world.

SYRIA

Alawites flee homes in Damascus suburb after threats from armed group

Copyright AP Photo

By Euronews

Published on 02/09/2025 - 

Residents in the al-Sumaria neighbourhood Euronews spoke to say the Syrian government has done little to protect them.

Many residents of a suburb in northwest Damascus have fled their homes, following repeated threats and arbitrary arrests from an armed faction.

Most of the affected families in the al-Sumaria neighbourhood are Alawites, the religious minority group to which the ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad belongs.

The development comes as Syria's interim government struggles to contend with the internal security challenges left by almost 14 years of civil war.

The crisis in the Syrian capital's al-Sumaria district, which is home to around 6,000 residents, escalated late last month.

Since last Wednesday, many of them have abandoned their homes, following the arrival of a faction armed with guns and swords, according to testimony collected by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Samer, a resident who wished to use a pseudonym due to safety concerns, told Euronews that members of the faction had ordered people to evacuate the area immediately.

They also detained some people "as a means of pressure on their families to comply", Samer added.

Although the government later intervened and issued reassurances through the media for residents to stay, the faction returned again and made direct threats, sparking a new wave of forced migration, he said.

Al-Sumaria neighborhood is empty of residents after a faction loyal to the Syrian government forced residents to leave it, August 30, 2025. Euronews

Ali, who is also from the neighbourhood, said he left with his family as soon as the militants entered "out of fear for my children".

"I heard that the (crisis) was over and things were back to normal, so I thought about going back, but my neighbour called me at night and said, 'Don't go back, the faction has re-entered and has given us a deadline to leave."

Nour, another resident who fled, told Euronews that the faction's members, dressed in General Security uniforms, "lurked in the streets and terrorised residents, closing shops and preventing people from going out".

They broke into homes in a "barbaric" manner, searched them without permission and wrote signs on the walls — including the letters "X" and "O" — without explaining their meaning, she said.

The group then announced a "24-hour deadline to evacuate", she added.

A door of a house marked "X," indicating an order for the family living there to leave, in Al-Sumaria, a northwest suburb of Damascus, August 30, 2025 Omar Sanadiki/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

Nour claimed the armed group assaulted and beat women inside their homes, where no men were present, and confiscated their mobile phones.

Some families tried to rent cars to move their belongings, she said, but the faction prevented them from doing so.

Abu Huzaifa, the alleged leader of the group, rejected the Syrian government's directive for residents to stay, the SOHR reported.

As well as ordering people to evacuate, he insulted Syria's transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa, the human rights group said.

Despite the government's insistence that the area was safe, reports suggested continued tension and fear among residents.

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The UN expressed "grave concern" about developments in al-Sumaria, including reports of "threats of forced evictions" and "violations against innocent civilians, including women and children".

In a statement, it called for "restraint", stressing that UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is "following developments closely".

At a press conference, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called for "carefully addressing the complex issues of housing, land and property, and transitional justice" in Syria.

"The protection of civilians in accordance with the rule of law and international standards" remains the top priority, Dujarric emphasised.

 

Indonesia readies seven IPOs as mining, property units eye market debuts

/ Unsplash - Ingo Doerrie

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By bno - Surabaya Office September 3, 2025

The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) said seven companies are preparing to go public, adding momentum to what has already been a busy year for equity fundraising, Indonesia Business Post reports.

IDX director of corporate valuation I Gede Nyoman Yetna said the pipeline includes four medium-scale firms with assets between IDR50bn and IDR250bn ($3–$15mn) and three larger companies with assets above IDR250bn. No small-scale issuers are currently in line.

“As of August 29, 22 companies have gone public this year, raising IDR10.39 trillion in fresh funds,” Nyoman said in a statement on September 1.

The upcoming listings span a range of industries: basic materials, non-cyclical consumer goods, financials, industrials, technology, and transportation & logistics.

Among potential listings, market attention is fixed on the gold sector. PT Merdeka Copper Gold (MDKA) is said to be preparing its subsidiary Pani, which manages a massive gold project in Gorontalo, for an IPO. The project is 67% complete, with trial operations expected late 2025 and first production targeted for early 2026. A listing could pave the way for Pani’s inclusion in the gold index. MDKA declined to comment on the rumors.

PT Intam, a subsidiary of PT Petrindo Jaya Kreasi (CUAN), is also rumored to be weighing an IPO, following billionaire Prajogo Pangestu’s move to list PT Chandra Daya Investasi in July. CUAN said it has no firm IPO plans but is evaluating opportunities.

In real estate, PT Summarecon Agung (SMRA) is preparing its investment arm, Summarecon Investment Property (SMIP), for a potential flotation. The company confirmed it is auditing interim financial statements as of June 30 ahead of a possible corporate action. SMRA’s management said market conditions will guide the timing.

The IPO pipeline underscores continued depth in Indonesia’s equity market, even as volatility from recent political unrest weighs on investor sentiment.

Turkish court dismisses opposition's Istanbul chief over congress irregularities

The ruling spells trouble for CHP national leader Ozgur Ozel. / @eczozgurozel

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By Akin Nazli in Belgrade September 2, 2025

The Istanbul 45th (Asliye Hukuk) civil court of first instance on September 2 annulled the last congress held by the Istanbul provincial headquarters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), according to local media reports.

As a result, CHP Istanbul chair Ozgur Celik and his fellow board members were dismissed. Gursel Tekin, Zeki Sen, Hasan Babacan, Mujdat Gurbuz and Erkan Narsap were appointed as trustees to replace the management.

Borsa Istanbul circuit breakers activated

As the news of the ousting based on alleged irregularities broke, circuit breakers and the uptick rule on short selling on the Borsa Istanbul were activated as shares dived. 

Turkey on edge once again

Celik said the the official notice of the court’s decision was yet to be served and that he was on his way to the provincial HQ. Technically, the CHP has the right to file an objection to the move at the regional court within two weeks after receiving the official notice.

If the CHP resists handing over the provincial HQ to the trustees, political tensions in Turkey will once more be in sharp view.

Tekin, a typical CHP politician

Of the board of trustees, Tekin is a well-known figure who resigned from the CHP last year. The other four are not known to the public. But Tekin informed the public that all four were former district chairs of the CHP in Istanbul.

In April, bne IntelliNews reported that Tekin was among the names circulated as potential candidates for possible trustee appointments at the CHP.

CHP national congress at risk

The congress annulled by the court was held on October 8, 2023. Also annulled were all decisions taken at the gathering.

According to Turkish legislation, delegates attending the provincial congresses of political parties elect delegates who then vote in polls to elect party chairs.

The congress in question voted for pro-Ozgur Ozel delegates. Ozel, the current national chair of the CHP, won his party’s leadership contest in November 2023.

Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city. CHP Istanbul elected 196 of the 1,368 delegates who were eligible to vote in the national party congress.

These 196 were also dismissed by the court decision. Given that they voted in the party leadership poll, Ozel’s right to his post is now subject to heightened risk.

September 15: next CHP trial hearing

A trial concerning the November 2023 national CHP party congress is being conducted by the Ankara 42nd (Asliye Hukuk) Civil Court of First Instance. The next hearing in this case will be held on September 15.

Technically, the 196 votes cast by the Istanbul delegates are null and void. As a result, the Ankara 42nd civil court is now supposed to annul the party congress and, as a result, dismiss the party management.

Ozel’s predecessor Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was defeated in the leadership contest, has informed journalists many times over that he is ready to replace Ozel should the court dismiss him.

Serbia records lowest support for EU in Western Balkans, survey shows

Protest on the anniversary of NATO’s 1999 bombing of Belgrade, March 2025. / X/@SprinterExpres0

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By bne IntelliNews September 2, 2025

Support for European Union (EU) membership in Serbia has dropped to the lowest level in the Western Balkans, a new Eurobarometer survey showed on September 2, underscoring the country’s strained ties with the bloc amid stalled accession talks and closer relations with Russia and China.

Just 33% of respondents in Serbia said they backed joining the EU, compared with 91% in Albania and 69% in North Macedonia, according to the survey commissioned by the European Commission. Only 38% of Serbians said they had a positive image of the EU, the lowest in the region.

The findings highlight the deep ambivalence many Serbs feel toward Brussels, shaped by the legacy of the 1990s conflicts and more recent political frictions. Nato’s 1999 air strikes against Serbia and the recognition of Kosovo’s independence by most Western states in 2008 entrenched resentment, with Belgrade turning to Moscow for diplomatic support.

Russia and China have since expanded their influence. Russian backing over Kosovo and frequent state visits keep Moscow popular among nationalist and anti-Western groups, while Chinese investment in infrastructure and vaccine donations during the pandemic boosted Beijing’s standing.

At the same time, the EU lost credibility among liberal, pro-Western Serbs, many of whom once saw membership as a guarantee of stability and prosperity. Critics say the bloc has tolerated President Aleksandar Vucic’s tightening grip on power while sidelining the opposition in pursuit of its own interests, such as securing the bloc access to Serbia’s critical minerals.

Serbia launched accession talks in 2014 but has not opened a new negotiation chapter in four years, with Brussels demanding reforms to strengthen the rule of law and normalise relations with Kosovo. The EU remains Serbia’s biggest trade and investment partner, but Belgrade has sought to balance ties by cultivating relations with Moscow and Beijing.

Elsewhere in the region, Montenegro and Albania are seen as the frontrunners in the membership process, which might explain their higher level of public support for joining the bloc. North Macedonia’s progress has been repeatedly delayed, first by a name dispute with Greece resolved in 2018 and later by Bulgaria over language and historical issues. Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo remain at an early stage of accession talks.

Despite falling public support, Serbian officials insist EU entry remains a strategic goal. Analysts say, however, that delays and disillusionment with enlargement are driving Belgrade to diversify its alliances.

Across the EU, the survey found nearly two-thirds of respondents aged 15 to 39 supported enlargement, citing benefits in security, competitiveness and global influence, though 67% said they felt poorly informed about the process

 

Putin has no objection to Ukraine joining the EU

Putin repeated remarks to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during his visit to China that the Kremlin has no objection to Ukraine joining the EU, but Nato membership remains the reddest of red lines. / bne IntelliNews

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By Ben Aris in Berlin September 3, 2025

Debunking a widely held assumption, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a visit to China to attend the SCO summit that Russia has “no objection” to Ukraine joining the EU on September 2.

However, he repeated that the Kremlin does object to Ukraine joining Nato, which remains a red line for Moscow since the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an eight-point list of demands in December 2021 in the prelude to the invasion of Ukraine three months later.

Moscow has long said that it has no problem with Ukraine’s desire to become a member of the European trade club and sees it as a business deal. However, the Kremlin has always said that if Ukraine were to join there would need to be a three-way discussion including Moscow, Brussels and Kyiv as Russia and Ukraine had significant mutual trade. The Kremlin was afraid of EU goods entering the Russia market via Ukraine, which had open borders and a free trade agreement pre-war, undermining Russia’s trade policies. Both Kyiv and Brussels refused three-way talks which was the start of tensions between them.

Putin repeated that Moscow does not oppose Ukraine’s possible accession to the European Union during his trip to China this week, while reiterating that Nato membership for Kyiv remains unacceptable to the Kremlin. Speaking during a visit to China, Putin also signalled a willingness to cooperate with the US on restarting the Cold War-era missile deals that he discussed with US President Donald Trump during the recent Alaska summit on August 15.

“As for Ukraine’s membership of the EU, we have never objected to this,” Putin told Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during bilateral talks. “As for Nato, this is another issue... Our position here is well known: we consider this unacceptable for ourselves.”

Putin’s comments come as Ukraine’s Western allies attempt to thrash out security guarantees and an aid package as part of the US sponsored drive to end the war in Ukraine. Trump has called for bilateral and trilateral meetings between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and himself, but progress towards such a meeting is currently stalled. Ukraine’s European allies are due to have another meeting of the coalition of the willing in Paris on September 4 to continue the discussion, however, the Trump administration has already said it will not attend that meeting.

“There are options for ensuring Ukraine’s security in the event of an end to the conflict,” Putin told Fico, referencing his meeting with Trump in Alaska. “And it seems to me that there is an opportunity to find consensus here.”

Trump, speaking after the summit, said he believed Putin was “tired” of the war and told a US radio station over the weekend that he was “disappointed” with Putin, hinting at new harsh sanctions on Russia if a Zelenskiy meeting doesn’t happen soon. However, Trump has repeatedly threatened Russia with new sanctions since he took office and so far has imposed no new sanctions whatsoever.

Ukraine and its Western allies are becoming increasingly sceptical about Putin’s commitment to a negotiated resolution and accuse the Kremlin of suggesting concessions and meetings as a ruse to delay possible new sanctions on Russia by the US. Ukrainian officials argue that Moscow cannot dictate Kyiv’s foreign policy, and Nato has reaffirmed that Russia has no veto over the alliance’s enlargement, although the Trump administration has made it clear that Nato membership is off the table for Ukraine. In lieu of full membership Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has suggested a Nato-lite variant of Article 5-like security guarantees by individual EM member states that is currently under discussion.

Putin said reaching consensus on security guarantees for Ukraine was possible, even as he reiterated Moscow would never accept Kyiv’s accession into NATO. However, the  Kremlin has been ambivalent on Meloni’s Nato-lite suggestion, hinting it would accept bi-lateral security guarantees by individual European powers. This sort of agreement on security deals was already reached at as part of the failed 2022 Istanbul peace deal. The Kremlin has repeatedly suggested that those talks should be used as a framework for the current security arrangement negotiations.

However, the Kremlin has made  it clear it must be part of any bilateral agreements on Ukraine’s security. Putin has rejected the US-sponsored idea of an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, floated by the White House in February and prefers to start talks on a longer-term peace plan that deals with the “root causes” of the conflict. Part of that would be to include Russia in any pan-European security deal, rather than excluding it, as Ukraine’s Nato membership entails.

“There are options for ensuring Ukraine’s security if the conflict ends,” Putin told Fico, Reuters reports. “It seems to me that there is an opportunity to find a consensus here,” adding that the topic came up in discussions with US President Donald Trump when the two leaders met in Alaska.

In an apparent attempt to allay Western concerns, Putin dismissed warnings of further Russian aggression as “horror stories” and “hysteria” promoted by “incompetent people seeking to cast Russia as an enemy”.

“Hysteria is constantly being whipped up that Russia is supposedly planning to attack Europe,” he said. “This is a provocation or complete incompetence.”

British and German intelligence have warned that Russia may be contemplating an attack on Nato members sometime in the next five years, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has always dismissed the idea. “We are not crazy,” he commented early in the war when the idea was first floated.

On nuclear safety, Putin said Russia was open to working with US authorities at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, under Armed Forces of Russia (AFR) control since March 2022.

“We can cooperate with American partners at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” he said, noting that discussions had already taken place indirectly with Washington. He added that Moscow was also prepared to engage with Ukraine on the issue.