Luddites as First AI Protesters

The Luddites' attacks on Jacquard looms can be read as an early form of protest against programmable automation — a direct ancestor of modern computers and, by extension, AI. Framing them this way connects 19th‑century labor resistance to today's debates over algorithms, automation, and job displacement. — This historical reframing offers a concise rhetorical hook that can change how activists, policymakers, and pundits name and justify opposition to contemporary AI and automation.