I’ve been staying way clear of comparisons to Luddites in conversations about the potential harmful impacts of modern AI tools, because it seemed to me like an offensive, unproductive cheap shot
And then I read this: "Knitting machines known as lace frames allowed one employee to do the work of many without the skill set usually required" - and wow, that really is a striking parallel to what’s starting to happen with an array of modern professions already
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/rethinking-the-luddites-in-the-age-of-ai
"The profusion of dubious A.I.-generated content resembles the badly made stockings of the nineteenth century. At the time of the Luddites, many hoped the subpar products would prove unacceptable to consumers or to the government. Instead, social norms adjusted."
@4ebb1885 I'm all for questioning capital's exalted place in society but if someone threw $40B at Segway, they'd have been able to generate widespread adoption.
Lots of people would convince themselves they were participating in a movement revolution. Articles and books would be written on "the end of walking" and "the death of the bicycle." All nonsense.
It's hard to see (outside of wild leaps of imagination) how the tech we can see now leads to the tech they're trying to convince us they have.
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