Introduction

In the name of progress, humans will invent something whose unintended consequences far outweigh its benefits. Eli Whitney's cotton gin was meant to increase production; it wound up increasing slavery by 70%. The Industrial Revolution and the development of gasoline muscled the U.S. economy into unparalleled levels of production but they also despoiled our planet. AI is at the heart of this conflict: If you are among the hundreds of thousands of people currently affected by the WGA strike against the companies, you know those storytellers were right.