In 1881 people feared telegraph lines would knock Earth into other planets — a lesson for AI panic
benfielding · x · 2026-09-19
@benfielding digs up 1881-era fears that telegraph lines would disrupt Earth's magnetic poles, destroy its ecosystem, and send the planet hurtling into other planets — illustrating our long pattern of inventing fantastical yet terrifying outcomes for new technologies, an implicit jab at today's AI doom narratives.
Related event: 1881 Telegraph Panic Echoes Today's AI Doom Narratives(2 posts)→
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