Of hand-looms, newspaper hot-metal presses, telephone switchboards, domestic servants, etc.
'AI' technology and its applications are in a transitional state. As during the early days of other, now well established innovations, 'AIs' impact is yet to be known.
Assuming 'AI' can substantially reduce drudgery (white and blue collar) and increase productive efficiency, there are lessons from the past to ease the transition. One such is the upheaval leading to Luddites and social disorder. Similarly, former 'Fleet Street' newspaper owners met bitter resistance when skilled, and very highly paid, hot-metal press workers were displaced. Many other transitions took place more slowly, were widely welcomed, and whilst unpleasant for some individuals they did not engender broad social upheaval.
Unfortunately, the ethos of neoliberalism has introduced a 'divide' far more pernicious than the former 'class struggles' emanating from the 19th century. The new economic and social order is overtly predicated upon a crude misunderstanding of Darwinian Evolution in terms of 'nature red in tooth and claw' which leads to a "may the Devil take the hindmost" attitude, itself an expression of "I'm alright Jack". For example, in the UK all major political parties subscribe to a corrupted, indeed moribund, version of market-capitalism, one set to foster an 'Ayn Rand' kind of dystopia for the '99.99%'.
Many people prospering from 'liberalisation' of the City of London, and similar elsewhere, don't grasp they are 'useful fools' for a powerful new 'elite' bearing no likeness to 'breeding', aristocracy, or pretence of betterment for all mankind. They will be discarded. Their only difference from their underlings being the longer time before their families descend into penury. That applies also to so-called 'leaders' such as Mr Blair, Mr Starmer, the Johnson creature, Le Macon, Metz, von der Leyen, and many others across the globe, but especially in Western nations.
A potentially profound innovation like 'AI' - in the right hands capable of transforming for the better the prospects for all mankind - must be handled at societal level. That is not intended to knock genuine entrepreneurs, but neither should they be placed on pedestals. Unfortunately, other perhaps than in China, there is little chance of wisdom prevailing. The so-called 'democratic world' is saddled with the ridiculous mechanism of 'universal franchise representative democracy' which is an easily manipulated plaything for 'professional' politicians 'on the take' from their true masters. Ironically, that need not be so should modern technology (e.g. the Internet) be used to draw in the experience of intelligent and educated people endowed with probity.
As matters stand, nobody need to fear the consequences of redundancy and poverty arising from 'AI' if it were grasped that 'AI' may offer a sensible means for re-ordering the global economy (and the distribution of income/opportunity that offers) to relieve people of tedium, and to enable a substantially greater proportion to deploy hitherto buried aptitudes.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
