Why the 'cars killed carriage drivers' analogy fails as a pro-AI jobs argument
Any_Comparison_8760 · reddit · 2026-10-03
The poster rebuts a common pro-AI argument — that we shouldn't have invented any machine because it displaced workers. Using the cars-vs-carriage-drivers example, he argues cars changed the job rather than destroying it, creating drivers and mechanics. AI is different: datacenter construction creates jobs only temporarily, and if AI fully replaced advertising, writers, actors, cameramen, and designers wouldn't all simply become prompt writers. The post questions the optimistic 'AI creates more jobs' narrative, suggesting this round's net displacement may exceed that of past general-purpose technologies.
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