Here We Go Again With Kal Penn Will Technology Replace Us? with Jacob Goldstein
Jan 20, 2026
Jacob Goldstein, journalist and author who covered money and hosted Planet Money, tells the story of the original Luddites and the early Industrial Revolution. He traces how machine-breaking and political backlash shaped labor. They compare those 1800s fights to today’s AI fears, discuss which sectors might shift, and consider who wins and who gets left behind.
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Use AI To Generate Leads Then Vet Sources
- Use AI as a research and idea tool rather than a source to copy verbatim.
- Goldstein describes prompting a large language model for big economic themes, then researching and vetting those leads himself.
Luddites Were Skilled Artisans Who Broke Machines
- The original Luddites were skilled cloth workers who physically attacked new machines that threatened their trades.
- Jacob Goldstein describes croppers who used giant shears and then saw shearing frames and looms displace their home-based craftwork.
Luddites Used Myth And Armed Riots To Fight Machines
- Luddites organized under a mythical leader, General Ned Ludd, and staged armed attacks on factories.
- Goldstein recounts a violent siege where Luddites exchanged gunfire and later faced mass arrests and public hangings.
