Congratulations to undergraduate English major Matthew Pennington, who has been awarded a Hilldale undergraduate/faculty research fellowship for an independent study project he will conduct in 2026-2027!
Under the supervision of Lang Sci faculty Dr. Kelly Wright and Dr. Eric Raimy, Matthew will be exploring whether negative terms directed towards AI systems and automatons are recognized as derogatory terms and whether subliminal priming of these terms leads to a decrease in opinion of nonhuman entities.
Here is a summary of Matthew’s project proposal: Terms like “clanker,” “wireback,” and “cogsucker” have recently emerged online to target AI systems and automatons. While modeled on traditional slurs, it is unclear whether people perceive these labels as offensive or if they shape attitudes toward nonhuman entities. This study will investigate two questions: (1) whether individuals recognize derogatory terms directed towards nonhumans as offensive and meant to cause harm, and (2) whether subliminal priming of AI and automaton-based derogatory language leads to a decrease in opinion of nonhuman entities. Participants will complete questionnaires and be exposed to a subliminal priming task using either neutral control terms or suspected AI-related derogatory terms, followed by attitude measures. Statistical models will assess whether predictors such as age, internet usage, or ethnic background, as well as priming condition, significantly affect attitudes. The results will help determine whether these emerging terms function as true slurs and will contribute to broader discussions about how language shapes perceptions of artificial agents.