New inventions and technologies, from the lightbulb to the farm tractor to the automobile to the laptop computer to Uber drivers, cause serious job market disruptions. They also cause a backlash, as horse and buggy operators, cab drivers, video rental stores, and typewriter makers inevitably predicted chaos and job losses.

Artificial intelligence will make life much better and healthier for most people, but it will bring massive disruptions, too.

What will happen to the people whose livelihoods are jeopardized by what ChatGPT or Claude can do faster, cheaper, and better? It is a fair question. But let's look at one of the inventions of the past several decades that we almost all use routinely: the automated teller machine.

In 1969, a branch of Chemical Bank on Long Island installed a device that counted cash and took deposits. It never called in sick and never asked for a raise. And it worked quickly and didn't take coffee breaks.

As millions and then tens of millions of Americans started using these 24/7 cash dispensers, the worry was that bank tellers would join elevator operators in the museum of extinct occupations. Some bank employee groups protested the machines, warning that they wouldn't be........

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