> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.philmckinney.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# They're Everywhere
- URL: https://www.philmckinney.com/theyre-everywhere/
- Published: 2026-03-16T13:06:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-16T22:06:36.000Z
- Description: And we finally have a word for them.
- Author: Phil McKinney
- Tags: Glitchers, glitch, matrix, skynet, AI, luddites, artificial intelligence, Noted, philmckinney, phil mckinney

Skynet went online on August 29, 1997.

Except it didn't. That was a movie.

But somewhere between the theater and the op-ed page, the line dissolved. And now they're everywhere: the forwarded articles, the Senate testimony, the conference panel that opens with 'I'm not against AI, but...' before spending forty minutes explaining why they are.

They're not running on evidence. They're running on sci-fi training data. And they can't tell the difference between a screenplay and a forecast.

They call it caution. They call it wisdom. They invoke the good old days, the ones where everything ran on leaded gas.

Every new capability gets the same treatment. Slow down. Pause. What if?

We finally have a word for it.

[**Glitchers**.](https://www.philmckinney.com/innovation-glossary/#glitchers) 

The people who see a glitch in the Matrix every time a new technology drops.

The Luddites had looms to blame. Glitchers have chatbots.

Spoiler: the looms won.

---

**Noted* is Phil McKinney's periodic micro essay — observations on whatever catches his attention.*

Innovation insights from Phil McKinney

Four decades of decisions. Delivered to your inbox.   
Free or paid — your choice.

Subscribe