Industrial Revolution vs. AI Revolution: Same Fears, New Era

The Luddites are remembered as people who opposed machines. But while reading contemporary accounts of the 1811 1813 textile disturbances, I found that many of their complaints focused on wage cuts, deskilling, changes in labor relations rather than the existence of machinery itself.

That made me think how much of today's debate around AI echoes those earlier arguments. The Industrial Revolution largely automated physical work over several decades. Large language models are automating parts of knowledge work, and they're spreading globally in just a few years.

I ended up looking at the historical parallels between the Industrial Revolution and today's AI transition, including the Luddite movement, Engels' Pause, and how technological change reshaped the value of human labor.

https://thehistoricalinsights.page/2025/05/industrial-revolution-vs-ai-revolution-same-fears-new-era.html