scte balkans news
How Is AI Similar to the Industrial Revolution?
to a much larger part of the population. New industries appeared, new cities grew, and new economic opportunities were created. Technology changed not only production, but society itself.
We are moving from a revolution of physical labour toward a revolution of mental labour. If we look at history, the Industrial Revolution was largely about transforming physical work into machine- assisted work. Machines were introduced to make production faster, more efficient, and capable of producing much more than human labour alone could achieve. But the Industrial Revolution was not only about machines. It was a transformation of the entire system of production and, at the same time, a transformation of the role of people within that system. The way people worked, where they worked, and what skills they needed all changed. It is easy to imagine that there was also a great deal of uncertainty and fear during that period. People probably asked the same question we are asking today: Will machines replace us? Many professions and traditional ways of working disappeared or became less important, while completely new professions emerged. People had to learn new skills and adapt to a different economy. In the end, however, technology did not simply eliminate human work. It changed the type of work people were doing. Efficiency, not obsolescence The increase in productivity created by industrialisation was enormous. Products could be manufactured faster, transported further, and made available
This is where I see a strong connection with artificial intelligence.
AI is following a similar principle, but in a different form. The Industrial Revolution amplified the physical capabilities of humans, while AI has the potential to amplify our mental and cognitive capabilities. We can think of this as a shift from physical amplification to mental amplification. With AI, a person can process huge amounts of information, communicate across languages, analyse data, create software, generate ideas, test solutions, and access knowledge much faster than before. The real opportunity is not simply that AI can perform individual tasks. The bigger opportunity is that AI can connect many different tasks into one process. This will inevitably transform many professions. Some jobs will disappear, some will change significantly, and new professional profiles will emerge. Many existing professions will have to be redesigned around the capabilities that AI brings. Just as workers during the Industrial Revolution had to learn how to work with machines, today’s workers will have to learn how to work with AI.
Besim Latifi, SCTE Ambassador- At-Large
26
SEPTEMBER 2026 Volume 48 No.3
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker