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Of course, this is the refrain of technology's cheerleaders. Jobs don't disappear. They just change. Nimble people with can-do spirit can always find a new one. And on average, the jobs pay better and better. Life gets easier and easier. Actually, I'm one of technology's cheerleaders. Forced to choose between hunting buffalo with a bow and arrow and microwaving a cheese-steak hoagie, I'll take the sandwich. On balance, progress does make things better, at least materially, for most people. But the costs are real. Converting someone from a teller to an ATM servicer is not easy or cheap. And if we as a society are going to meet the challenge, we should avoid dubious reassurance about the impregnable uniqueness of our species.
After Kasparov's loss, a Wall Street Journal editorial issued a stern warning against viewing technology as a threat ("Sierra Club thinking"). After all, the Journal reminded us, Deep Blue is a product of human genius. So buck up! When you turnpike-toll takers lose your jobs to E-ZPass and other electronic systems, just remember: E-ZPass is a product of human genius. There. Feel better?
The Journal also noted that computers like Deep Blue can invent new drugs by "sorting quickly through hundreds of chemical combinations that once required months of human tedium." Well, as some toll takers might observe, one human's tedium is another human's job. And although automating the tedious does raise average wages over time, it can lower wages for people with obsolete skills.
In the end, John Henry is too dramatic a metaphor. People rarely die trying to outrun technology. They usually adapt, moving either up the skills-and-income scale or down it. Perhaps a better metaphor is Virginia Lee Burton's classic children's story of Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne. Outmoded by diesel models, Mary Anne retires in the cellar she has just dug for the new town hall. She becomes the building's heater. And Mike Mulligan finds gainful employment, though not by mastering diesel technology. He works contentedly alongside Mary Anne, as a janitor.