I don't mean the Luddite analogy as a criticism. The Luddites were not anti-technology per se, and they were right to question the power that comes with deploying transformative new technology.
@willknight
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AI Productivity Over Layoffs: Companies’ New Narrative Strategy
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I think a lot depends on the jobs narrative. Companies should stop blaming layoffs on AI and emphasize increased productivity, new business lines, and new hires made as a result of using AI.
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Folk Ballads and Computers: Why Tech Lacks Cultural Narrative
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Amusing line from the end of the article: "This much is certain: you don’t sing folk ballads about computers and feedback."
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1959 Harper’s on Factory Automation and Artisanal Skill Loss
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On the subject of old-timey views of automation, this piece, from a 1959 issue of Harpers, laments the loss of artisanal skills amid the rise of factory automation. Many of the displaced workers mentioned in the piece of course moved on to office work.
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AI Job Creation: Historical Parallels and Future Opportunities
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… although automated looms did replace people they also resulted in the creation of lots of new jobs. perhaps ai will be the same. it seems a mistake to think of AI purely as a replacement for humans, especially when there are so many things it cannot do well.
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LLMs and Workers: Echoes of Luddite Era Concerns
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It's really striking how closely this argument mirrors the points made by the Luddites in the 19th century. Back then, textile workers were also worried about technology (looms rather than LLMs) being used to screw over workers, deskilling the workforce, and lowering the quality… https://t.co/CaxmSi2XgY
— Will Knight (@willknight) 28 avril 2026It's really striking how closely this argument mirrors the points made by the Luddites in the 19th century. Back then, textile workers were also worried about technology (looms rather than LLMs) being used to screw over workers, deskilling the workforce, and lowering the quality
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WIRED explores the growing cyberdeck computing movement
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Great story on Cyberdecks by WIRED's Reece Rogers
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Bot Proliferation Creates Recursive Automation Cycle
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Yes, until the app store deploys a bot to keep the bots in check. Then the bots will hire humans to call up and reason with the app store bot, and it, in turn, will hire its own humans to deal with those humans. And so on.