There's a general fear that artificial intelligence could make huge swathes of workers redundant, but are those fears unjustified? Rob Young asks what history can tell us about big technological leaps and how they changed the world of work at the time. And how much of the rate of change comes down to customer preference - would you rather deal with a bot or a person? Presented and produced by Rob Young.
(Photo: A square computer chip, with its circuitry illuminated in pink and white light and has the text Powered by AI on it as a logo is seen during the opening day of the IFA trade fair in Berlin, Germany, 4 September 2026. Credit:EPA/Shutterstock)