Although AI’s meteoric rise can feel unprecedented, its path actually closely echoes the society-wide transformations propelled by the steam engine and electric motor in the 1800s. In this episode, acclaimed MIT professor and author Andrew McAfee traces these historical parallels, exploring how past industrial revolutions reshaped manufacturing and workforce productivity. He argues that understanding these earlier breakthroughs offers a crucial roadmap for navigating this new “Second Machine Age,” and he shows us why the true impact of this current AI revolution is only just beginning.
