Wondering if anyone from #histodon can weigh in: is this level of resistance to a new technology common in history? Trying to get some sense of calibration.
@minmi @susankayequinn @toerror
Yes, it's pretty common. Mostly from 2 directions: people who saw their jobs in danger and people who said 'not in my backyard'.
In nearly zero cases the resistance stopped the new technology, but in some cases it led to a better use of it.
Mostly the more militant the resistance was, the less impact it had on the use of the technology.
"This is no really god use/place for this machine." is better than "I don't want this machine, never, anywhere, burn it down!"
@ErikML I'm gonna disagree strongly with AI is "inevitable" and "don't say burn it down" because 1) that's tech propaganda but also 2) Luddites were unable to stop rapacious capitalism entirely but they were effective & inspired multitudes of civil rights, labor rights movements that followed.
Also: yes, AI is vastly more unpopular than most recent tech.
And "stopping rapacious capitalism" is actually something we should figure out?
Anyway everyone should read this:
like you're not getting this kind of resistance to the iphone or the internet or whatever recent tech thing that folks like to point to... and it's partly because we've had time to see those things turned into a surveillance state and partly because the tech industry has dropped the mask and is SHOVING AI into everything. Lack of consent is a feature not a bug.
If it's so great, why can't I turn it off? LOL
https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/ai-unpopular-in-america-new-nbc-poll/