“The digital revolution is probably going to be as important and transformative as the industrial revolution.” — Ryan Avent, The Economist columnist, author of The Wealth of Humans (via The Atlantic).
Web 2.0 was a social revolution: many hands make light work. In stark contrast, the current revolution, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, is industrial: the automation of tasks displaces human work. But trite definitions don’t prepare us for change. Whatever you call it, our digital economy is in the midst of profound changes. By placing these changes within the frame of industrial manufacturing, the true values and motivations that underlie them than are illuminated.
Editor's Note: This blog was originally published on September 18 2016. It was updated on September 4, 2024.
