From Silent Looms to Dark Switchboards: Why Tech Change Has Always Been Personal for Skilled Workers
soumitrashukla9 · x · 2026-10-12
In a 10-part thread, soumitrashukla9 responds to mathematicians' anxiety over rapid AI advances by arguing that technological change has historically been a deeply personal event for skilled workers.
- Looms fell silent, switchboards went dark, and factory lines shrank — each wave brought an identity crisis about what it means to master a craft.
- The thread is illustrated with historical engravings, including the 1771 print "An Iron Forge."
- Core point: as the highest-skilled workers like mathematicians wrestle with AI-driven obsolescence, their feelings echo centuries of documented human experience with automation.
Related event: From Looms to AI: A Centuries-Old History of Automation Anxiety(6 posts)→
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