Worried that AI will replace you? It may not seem like the Hollywood writers’ strike has anything in common with the Luddite rebellion in England in 1811, but they are surprisingly similar. Today we use the term “Luddite” dismissively to describe a technophobe, but the original Luddites – cloth workers – organized and fought Industrial Revolution automation and the factory bosses who were replacing humans with cotton spinning machines and steam powered looms. Find out what our age of AI can learn from textile workers of 200 years ago about keeping humans

in the loop.

Guest:

Brian Merchant - Los Angeles Times tech columnist and author of “Blood in the Machine: The

Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech”  

Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake

Originally aired January 14, 2024

Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact [email protected] to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.

You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us

on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices