Blood in the machine : the origins of the rebellion against big tech

Includes bibliographical references and index

Part 1. The great comet

Part 2. Metropolis of discontent

Part 3. Breaking frames, breaking bones

Part 4. More value than work or gold

Part 5. The modern Prometheus

Part 6. The owners of the new machine age

Tells the true story of the first time machines came for human jobs--and how the Luddite uprising explains the power, threat, and toll of big tech and AI today. The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods. The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines--on punishment of death--and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction. This all-but-forgotten class struggle brought nineteenth-century England to its knees. Today, technology imperils millions of jobs, robots are crowding factory floors, and artificial intelligence will soon pervade every aspect of our economy. How will this change the way we live? And what can we do about it? The answers lie in this volume. Merchant intertwines an examination of our current age with the story of the Luddites, showing how automation changed our world--and is shaping our future. --From publisher's description. "The true story of the first time machines came for human jobs--and how the Luddite uprising explains the power, threat, and toll of big tech today"--Dust jacket flap. The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods. The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines--on punishment of death--and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction. This all-but-forgotten class struggle brought nineteenth-century England to its knees. Today, technology imperils millions of jobs, robots are crowding factory floors, and artificial intelligence will soon pervade every aspect of our economy. How will this change the way we live? And what can we do about it? The answers lie in Blood in the Machine. Brian Merchant intertwines a lucid examination of our current age with the story of the Luddites, showing how automation changed our world--and is shaping our future.