Historical Thread: What Textile Weavers and Switchboard Operators Teach Us About AI Anxiety
soumitrashukla9 · x · 2026-10-12
Prompted by mathematicians' heated reactions to rapid AI progress, Soumitra Shukla posted a 10-part thread on how technological change has historically hit workers as a deeply personal event.
- Looms fell silent, switchboards went dark, factory lines shrank — each wave brought an identity crisis about what it means to master one's craft
- Understanding this history, he argues, is key to reading today's professional anxiety around AI
The thread was amplified by economists including Steven Durlauf.
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