Lessons from the Industrial Revolution on AI and Automation's Impact on Jobs
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The Industrial Revolution provides historical context for understanding how AI and automation impact jobs and workers. Machinery transformed work rather than simply "replacing" it.
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Machines like the Spinning Jenny lowered wages, required less skill, and gave employers more control. AI chatbots could similarly degrade jobs even if they don't replace them.
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The Luddites were skilled workers who selectively sabotaged machinery that harmed their dignity and livelihoods. They weren't anti-technology.
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While an uprising like the Luddites' is unlikely now, unrest over AI and job loss has emerged (e.g. Uber cars attacked).
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Rather than technology necessarily causing job loss, giving workers more of a say and share of the benefits would be constructive.