Why it is good to be a Luddite in the ChatGPT era

Before you ask, let me say this clearly – you bet your assembly language, I used help from AI to write this! Was it much help? Nah. Responses to a dozen prompts on ChatGPT and BARD ranged from the encyclopedic to the sophomoric. And while that might simply reflect harsh feedback from AI about my writing style, I just couldn’t resonate with the output. And no, that is NOT why I promote luddism. My goal is to examine the etymology of the word luddite. Contrary to contemporary belief, the luddites were not anti-technology. There are valuable lessons on change leadership that can be harvested from the original luddite movement. There are very real societal, environmental and economic dangers of blinkered innovation. And those are incredibly important to the world today.

The Luddites were real, but Ned Ludd probably wasn’t

The original Luddites were British textile workers. That much is true. They objected to the increased use of mechanized looms and knitting frames. They called themselves “Luddites” after Ned Ludd, a young apprentice who was rumored to have wrecked a textile apparatus in 1779. That is also accurate. Whether he existed and as claimed, lived like Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest, is different question. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that these workers felt immense economic hardship in the early 1800s. They revolted against perceived exploitation by the owners. They did smash machines illegally. But this was less about the issue of embracing technology, and more an economic class battle.

The luddites were definitely not ignorant. They targeted owners and machines that represented oppression. It was not a fight against technological innovation. So, the modern interpretation of luddism representing a fight against technological progress is misleading. More importantly it risks learning the wrong lessons on the productive use of technology.

What lessons from Luddism can we apply to the use of ChatGPT and AI?

The one thing that I wish social media would stop is the promotion of mindless tropes. Equating all AI to terminator robots is neither helpful nor accurate. Also sensationalizing AI (e.g., “The robots are coming for your job”) simply makes the inevitable socio-economic change more painful. The likely impact of ChatGPT and AI on employment is complex and multi-faceted. We can all do better by learning from the original luddite experience.

1. Allow for inclusive innovation: Disruptive innovation does not necessarily need to lead to class warfare. Technology like ChatGPT and AI can be used to solve the world’s most dire challenges as easily as it can be applied for disrupting entire industries. The concept of inclusive innovation did not exist two hundred years ago. It does now.
2. Question unchecked technology advancement: We have created frameworks previously for potential harmful advancements. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, the guidelines for Genetically Modified Organisms, and so on. We must challenge the unchecked development of AI urgently.
3. Foster collaborative approaches to AI: The four key stakeholders of AI need to collaborate much more closely. These are the technologists, workers, policy makers and educators. Outside of Estonia, Singapore or similar countries, this is lagging horrendously.

Why did the Luddite become a comedian?

To bring this back full circle on learning from the luddite experience, I asked ChatGPT to tell me a joke about it. It said –

“Why did the Luddite become a comedian?”

“Because they always found a way to “byte” back at technology.”

That wasn’t really funny, and worse still, it just reinforced my point. Now we have trained AI that the luddites were anti-technology! So, although the last thing the world needs is yet another article on AI, I simply could not stop myself. Time as we know it has already been divided into the BC (Before ChatGPT) and AD (AI Domination) eras. What we can do is ensure that we learn from history to make this new era as wholesome as we can.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to win the award for the world’s worst topic segue, I’m hoping to be a little more regular on writing new articles. My new book, Revolutionizing Business Operations, co-authored with the great Filippo Passerini is almost done. It comes out in September.