As AI Threatens Jobs, the Luddites' Resistance Holds New Relevance

The Luddites were skilled English textile workers who resisted new machinery that threatened their jobs and wages in the early 19th century. They targeted specific factories using automation to cut costs.
The Luddites rightly saw industrialization as benefiting factory owners over workers by devaluing their skills and changing the nature of work.
Author Brian Merchant argues the Luddites are newly relevant as AI threatens jobs today much like industrial machinery did.
Merchant says collective action, like strikes, show workers recognize companies leverage AI to cut costs just like early industrialists did.
The Luddites' political message was that technology's effects on workers are a choice, and more equitable outcomes are possible.

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Relevant topic timeline:

8/31/2023

Column: What Stephen King — and nearly everyone else — gets wrong about AI and the Luddites

Stephen King, a renowned author, defends generative AI by comparing it to the Luddites' resistance to industrial progress, despite the fact that the Luddites were actually protesting against the exploitation of workers through machinery, not progress itself. However, many creatives are concerned about AI's impact on their livelihoods, as it eradicates revenue streams and reduces opportunities for emerging artists, making it crucial to critically examine how the technology is being utilized.

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What the Luddites Can Teach Us about AI

The Luddites were not technophobes but rather fought against the specific ways in which technology was used to exploit and harm them, a parallel to the modern backlash against Big Tech and AI that is disrupting the labor market.

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The Luddites Were Right All Along: Lessons from 19th Century Rebels Who Fought Back Against Exploitative Technology

The book "Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech" by Brian Merchant explores the forgotten story of the original Luddites and their resistance to technology, highlighting their prescient concerns about the harm technology can inflict and advocating for everyone to benefit from the advancements of machines.

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Posted 9/26/2023, 2:25:09 PM