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The First Person to Lose Their Job to Technology

By David Kidd, BPR

Nearly 600 years ago, Johannes Trithemius, a skilled scribe, became the first recorded person to lose his job to technology. In 1439, Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized how books were made, sparking outrage among scribes who feared for their livelihoods. Some called the press a “plague,” worried about misinformation and moral decline, while Trithemius took a diplomatic route, defending the beauty of handwritten manuscripts.

History repeats itself. Today, we see similar resistance toward artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. Critics worry about “hallucinations” (incorrect responses) and biases in AI, just as scribes feared errors in printed books. Yet despite early pushback, the printing press became one of history’s most transformative inventions, ushering in the Renaissance and reshaping education, politics and economics.

In radio, we are witnessing the use of AI voices and “cloned” voices on air ….and please understand the two are very different but have met the same resistance to technology. I recall nearly two decades ago Voice Tracking between markets was confronted by the same pushback yet some of the highest rating shows on music stations in 2025 are Voice Tracked from a different market.

But let’s take the emotion out of the topic and take a broader view of AI.

AI: The Next Technological Breakthrough

Much like the printing press, AI is poised to revolutionize our world. While it may seem overhyped—after all, we still fold laundry and wash dishes—corporations and governments are already seeing the benefits. AI is automating processes, cutting costs, improving ad targeting and even accelerating medical breakthroughs.

The future isn’t far off. AI advancements will soon improve our daily lives, just as the printing press brought books to millions. Resistance is natural, but history shows us that new technologies don’t replace humans—they create opportunities.

So, are we on the verge of a breakthrough? Absolutely. AI isn’t just the next trend—it’s the next chapter in human progress. As mentioned earlier, in radio, for example, AI generated voices are being used globally. The output isn’t always perfect but then again, the same can be said for some live announcers!

When I started at my first commercial radio station in a major metro market (and the #1 station I might add) as a very young announcer, there were five people in the music department…..yes five….scheduling music using a card based system. Then along came technology in the form of systems like Selector and suddenly five became one. But those other four all found opportunities elsewhere.

My advice….don’t resist AI…..embrace it.