From the weaver’s shuttle to artificial intelligence

Three centuries ago, a weaver escaped in a sack of wool. Today, we fling open the doors of our lives to those who want to weave in our place. In 1733, the flying shuttle upended the working world. In 2025, it is artificial intelligence that is transforming our gestures, our trades, our identities. But the real rupture may not be the one we think. It is no longer just our skills that we delegate; it is the taste for thinking. And this time, there may well be no turning back. In 1733, they burnt the machines. In 2025, we applaud them. But in both cases, it is people who are sacrificed. Worth a listen if you, too, sense that something essential is melting away. Find the full transcript of this episode, along with all the sources and plenty more, at: From the weaver’s shuttle to artificial intelligence