In the final episode of season one, Alex Hess, Harshini Mahesh, and Maymuna Sabree discuss automation and AI’s relationship to labor by unpacking a 1964 speech by a Representative for the International Association of Machinists titled “America’s Response To The Challenge Of Automation”. This speech, an artifact from the Southern Labor Archives, unveils America’s reaction to automation at a time when technological advancements were at the forefront of societal concern, an incredibly relevant topic as we experience a similar cultural uproar with AI today. Referencing quotes from the artifact, hosts discuss topics ranging from the dichotomy between automation and AI, taking jobs but also creating jobs, to societal fear of technology and its merits, to idealistic theories that maybe automation/AI could help America shift how we relate to labor.

Photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash.