Humans find it difficult to adapt to change and this is evident in how technological advances are viewed. This is nothing new because even Socrates, the architect of Western philosophy, wasn't too excited about the introduction of writing, as he felt people would become more forgetful.
It may be natural to fear change, but we have to realize that by nurturing this kind of fear, we are resisting innovations that could improve our quality of life, productivity and connectivity.
The fear of technological change shows a lack of trust. As it stands, Americans don’t trust each other, our corporations or our public institutions. The absence of trust means a lot of damage has been done and the only way to fix this is to ensure everyone has the information that is essential to building trust back up.
We need to accept the mentality of change if we are going to grow as a society, and a key step in this process is making sure everyone is well-informed. This responsibility lies with each individual, company, and institution.
Th original article requires subscription: Resisting Technology, Lacking Trust And Fighting For The Future
19th century Americans (and others) were just as wary of past mechanical breakthroughs—the printing press, the steam engine, the assembly line—as we are about artificial intelligence (AI). Have your student imagine what an automobile must have seemed like to people who had only traveled by horse and buggy. Or a factory with an assembly line when for all of history everything was produced in cottage industries, individually handmade. Would they have trusted the new technology? Probably not!