Get with the times — here's what a 'Luddite' means today

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 hide caption toggle caption Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters As artificial intelligence races ahead in the United States, so has the backlash. This month, New York moved closer to passing into law a pause on the development of new data centers that power the technology. This graduation season, tech leaders who invoke AI optimism in their commencement speeches are getting booed by classes entering the workforce with anxieties about what AI could mean for their job prospects. When someone dares to question the wonders of technology, there's a handy word used to mock them: Luddites. David Friedberg, a tech investor and adviser to the White House, recently dropped the term on the popular business podcast All-In : "The idea that AI is going to destroy jobs is a Luddite idea that is being disproven every single day." Luddites are often accused of being anti-tech and anti-innovation. But Brian Merchant, a tech journalist and self-proclaimed Luddite, says true adherents aren't anti-tech. "The real Luddites are anti-technology being used to exploit people," he said. …