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#1612 New Tech and the New Luddite Movement; Inequitable Distribution of Benefits from New Technology Always Sparks Demands from Labor and AI is Rekindling the Old Arguments

Feb 20, 2024

Explore the history of Luddites fighting automation, reclaiming their legacy. AI experts sounding alarm for potential extinction-level trouble. Examining the distribution of benefits from technology in workplaces and society, questioning the impact on workers. Delving into the intersection of free speech, tech profit, and AI's societal impact, cautioning against blindly aligning with big tech and capitalist ideals.

59:00

Creator website

Episode guests

Connor Leahy

Jathan Sadowski

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Luddites opposed technology exploitation, not progress, highlighting modern concerns over AI's impact on workers.

Lessons from Luddites: Workers today face job loss and exploitation from AI, echoing historical struggles.

Labor movements use Luddite principles to challenge exploitative technology, emphasizing collective action for workers' rights.

Deep dives

Luddites and Technological Advancement

The Luddites, a group of cloth workers during the Industrial Revolution, opposed technology not because they feared it but because they saw it as a means of exploitation and degradation of society, showcasing their fight against automation. The term 'Luddite' carries a negative connotation despite their noble motivations. Today, parallels are drawn between AI and the Luddites' struggles, highlighting the concern over how technology is used to threaten workers across various industries.

Introduction

6min

Luddite Movement: Historical Context and Activism

7min

Navigating the Impact of Technology Journalism and AI Development

33min

Questioning the Distribution of Technological Benefits in Workplaces and Society

2min

Exploring Luddites, AI Dangers, and Tech Regulation

6min

Exploring the Intersection of Free Speech, Tech Profit, and AI Impact on Society

2min

Exploring the Impact of Automation on Work and Purpose

3min

Air Date 2/20/2024

"Luddite" should never have become the epithet that it is as the Luddites were never afraid of or opposed to technological advancement, they only opposed the exploitation of workers and the degradation to society that came with the unfair distribution of the benefits of the targeted technology.

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Transcript

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: The New Luddites - SHIFT - Air Date 2-14-24

Activists are fighting back against generative AI and reclaiming a misunderstood label in the process, says Brian Merchant in a new piece for The Atlantic.

Ch. 2: Being a Luddite Is Good, Actually ft. Jathan Sadowski - Left Reckoning - Air Date 5-29-21

Jathan Sadowski (@jathansadowski) of the This Machine Kills (@machinekillspod) podcast repairs our sabotaged understanding of the legacy of the Luddites.

Ch. 3: Why this top AI guru thinks we might be in extinction-level trouble | The InnerView - TRT World - Air Date 1-22-24

Lauded for his groundbreaking work in reverse-engineering OpenAI's large language model, GPT-2, AI expert Connor Leahy tells Imran Garda why he is now sounding the alarm.

SEE FULL SHOW NOTES

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on the fork in the road and a look at our options

References:

Rethinking the Luddites in the Age of A.I.

A Scottish Jewish joke - Things Fall Apart - Air Date 1-25-22

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: An 1812 block print of “The Leader of the Luddites” depicting a man in disheveled early 1800s clothing and missing one shoe leading other men up a hill while a building burns in the background.

Credit: “The Leader of the Luddites”, Messrs | Working Class Movement Library catalog | Public Domain

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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