Loading ...First Industrial Revolution. In 19th-century England, skilled textile artisans known as the Luddites rioted and smashed machines. Their opposition wasn’t entirely about hating progress; it was rooted in the fact that industrialists used automation to depress wages, lower product quality, and strip away workers’ autonomy.
The previous wave of automation in car factories replaced heavily repetitive physical tasks. Today’s AI expansion threatens white-collar, judgment-based, and creative work, creating a whole new demographic of workers who feel suddenly vulnerable.
The financial rewards of automation enriching capitalists rather than being shared with the labor force that implements it.
Even if new jobs eventually emerge, automation often creates a painful gap where a massive chunk of experienced workers lose their livelihoods.
In many fields, employees do not fear robots automating tedious or dangerous tasks; they fear being forced to compete with, or be subservient to, machines that lack human judgment and adaptability.
Historical protests were rarely about stopping technology completely. They were a form of collective bargaining that forced society to address the human cost of progress, often resulting in legal labor laws, minimum wages, standard working conditions, and safety nets.
To protest is insanity. I’m not familiar with the field of work you are in but perhaps people can
personalize and reflect a empathetic argument explaining how AI and robotics could or are impacting their specific field today.