The 1890s Kinetoscope: A Precursor to AI's Loneliness?
2025-02-05
This article draws parallels between the single-user Kinetoscope of the 1890s and today's AI technology, particularly large language models. The article argues that both technologies, while offering mass-produced content, create a simultaneously interconnected yet atomized experience, resulting in a new kind of technological loneliness. The author explores the historical context of Edison's invention and its surprisingly prescient design choice, highlighting the uncanny resemblance to our current reliance on personalized algorithmic feeds and AI companions. It prompts reflection on the direction of technological progress and its impact on individual experience.
AI
Loneliness