They Were Afraid of Electricity Too: New Technology Often Feels Frightening Until It Becomes Ordinary cover art

They Were Afraid of Electricity Too: New Technology Often Feels Frightening Until It Becomes Ordinary

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

$8.99/mo after trial ends. Cancel anytime
Try for $0.00
Compare plans

They Were Afraid of Electricity Too: New Technology Often Feels Frightening Until It Becomes Ordinary

By: Tom Brooks
Narrated by: Tom Brooks
Try for $0.00

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $15.25

Buy Now for $15.25

Season's Savings | $0.99/mo for 3 months

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo. after 3 months - terms apply.
What if the fears surrounding artificial intelligence today sound remarkably like the fears Americans held when electricity first entered their homes? Before the light switch became ordinary, people worried about fires, shocks, lost jobs, invisible forces, and whether anyone could be trusted to control this strange new power.They Were Afraid of Electricity Too tells the story of how electric light moved from a scientific marvel to a dependable part of everyday life. From candlelit homes and gaslit streets to Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park demonstration, Pearl Street’s power station, the War of the Currents, deadly wire accidents, the electric chair, rural electrification, and the kitchen toaster, this book shows that progress was never automatic or risk-free.Along the way, it draws a parallel to artificial intelligence, generative AI, machine learning, automation, superintelligence, digital privacy, deepfakes, misinformation, cybersecurity, job displacement, bias, and AI safety. The book does not ask readers to dismiss legitimate concerns. It asks better questions: What problem does a technology solve? What can go wrong? Who is responsible when it fails? Can its safeguards be tested? Who receives the benefits, and who bears the risks?Written for readers interested in the history of electricity, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, technology history, AI ethics, innovation, public policy, and the future of work, this is an accessible guide to technological change. It explains how standards, inspections, trained workers, regulation, accountability, and practical experience turned electricity from an alarming mystery into a trusted public utility.The lesson for the AI age is hopeful and practical: neither blind enthusiasm nor permanent fear will serve us. New technology earns its place in society through evidence, transparency, human judgment, and safeguards. History cannot tell us what AI will become, but it can teach us how to face powerful change with curiosity, courage, and common sense.©2026 2026 (P)2026 Tom Brooks Americas Computer Science United States
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.