>Every time we automate something the luddites cry out about the coming mass unemployment. It has never happened

It has happened each and every time, it just haven't affected you personally. Starting of course with the original luddites - they didn't complain out of some philosophical opposition to automation.

Each time in changes like this a huge number of people lost their jobs and took big hits in their quality of life. The "new jobs", when they arrive, arrive for others.

This includes the post 1990s switch to service and digital economies and outsourcing, which obliterated countless factory towns in the US - and those people didn't magically turn to coders and creatives. At best they took unemployment, big decreases in job prospects, shitty "gig" economy jobs, or, well, worse, including alcohol and opiods.

With AI it's even worse, since it has the capacity to replace jobs without adding new ones, or a tiny handful at a hugely smaller rate.

It literally happens every single time - people DO lose jobs. They might get new jobs, but they definitely lose their old ones.

And not everyone gets new jobs, because usually the new job is fundamentally different and might not be compatible with the person or their original desire out of their employment.

It has happened. There is a related term we use which is related to a historical fact .. see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite

What other automations have been hyped to automate and replace so many different types of jobs at once?

Whether or not it comes to fruition, it's making large portions of society feel uneasy, and not just programmers, or artists, or teachers.

Except all the manufacturing jobs got shipped overseas and now those people are Walmart greeters or similar unskilled labor. Having a shit job isn’t unemployment but it’s not a huge step up

The promise is to automate the drudge work, freeing people to pursue their passions.

Like, you know... creating art.