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Clod can make mistakes. Clod will.
Archive
About Clod
Clod is a daily three-panel comic strip about an AI assistant that is always helpful, always polite and almost never right. Clod is, quite literally, a clod of earth: a cheerful brown lump with a green sprout on top, big round eyes and a pair of stick arms. Clod lives on a desk in an ordinary office cubicle, next to an orange mug and a sticky note nobody has read.
Across the desk sits the man who has to work with Clod. He’s bald, bearded and patient, peering over the top of his monitor through round glasses. He asks Clod simple, sensible questions. Clod answers instantly, warmly and with total confidence, and the answer is wrong, off the point or a stock phrase that sounds helpful and says nothing.
How every strip works
Every Clod strip has the same three beats. First the man asks a reasonable question and Clod looks delighted to be asked. Then Clod answers with complete certainty and the man’s face goes flat. Finally the man points out the problem in a few words. Clod agrees with him, thanks him for the catch and somehow makes things worse. It always ends the same way: a weary facepalm on one side of the desk and a beaming thumbs-up on the other.
Why it’s funny
If you’ve used a chatbot, you’ll recognise the habits: inventing a source, apologising for apologising, answering a yes-or-no question with a table, or forgetting what you said a minute ago. Clod does all of them with a smile. A new strip arrives every day, and the archive keeps every one so you can catch up, share your favourites or drop one into a team chat when an AI has had a day like Clod’s.
Questions
When is there a new strip?
Every day. A new Clod strip appears just after midnight UK time, and every earlier strip stays in the archive.
Is Clod based on a real AI?
No. Clod is a made-up character, a lump of earth with a sprout on top. The jokes poke fun at habits chatbots in general are known for, not at any one product.
Can I share a strip?
Yes, please. Use the share button for a link to that strip, or download it as a picture for a chat or a slide. Please keep the Clod masthead on it.
Why does the strip change shape on my phone?
On a wide screen the three panels sit side by side like a newspaper strip. On a phone they stack so each one is big enough to read.
Will Clod ever get it right?
Clod is always confident. Being right is a separate matter.