As artificial intelligence advances, historians are studying earlier technological shifts to see what lessons apply today. They note that new inventions often caused anxiety about jobs and the economy. Past examples include the assembly line, trains, cars, airplanes and the internet, each of which changed work and daily routines.
Public concern increased after a February 10 post on X by entrepreneur Matt Shumer saying he was "no longer needed" for the technical part of his job; the post has 86 million views. The speed of current AI advances helps explain the alarm.
Newer tools, such as Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.6, can produce complex code, analyse data and generate reports in seconds and can perform several tasks at once through multi-agent teaming. Two political economy historians, Louis Hyman and Angus Burgin, discuss how history can inform responses to AI-driven change and highlight the main concerns for work, regulation and the economy. The conversations were combined and edited for clarity, and the post first appeared on Futurity.
Difficult words
- anxiety — strong worry about future or problems
- assembly line — factory system where workers do one step
- entrepreneur — person who starts and runs a business
- alarm — sudden worry or fear about danger
- analyse — examine data to find information or meaning
- regulation — official rule or law that controls activity
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you or someone you know felt worried about new technology at work? What happened?
- Which past invention from the article (trains, cars, airplanes, assembly line, internet) changed daily life most, in your opinion? Why?
- What should governments or companies do to respond to fast AI advances? Give one or two ideas.
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