A protester holds a sign during a protest outside of OpenAI headquarters calling for a pause in AI development in San Francisco on March 21.
Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters
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Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters
Get with the times — here's what a 'Luddite' means today
It's often a derogatory term used to describe digital dinosaurs and technophobes. That wasn't always the case. NPR's Word of the Week looks back at the not so backwards-looking Luddites.
TL;DRAI
1811-era English weavers called Luddites opposed not machines but their use to cut wages—a distinction erased when the term became a slur for AI skeptics. Questioning tech's impact on jobs and society reflects legitimate labor concerns, not technophobia.
1,095 words~5 min read
