Progress First, Judgment Later: Gutenberg and AI (Bite-size Article)
Source: Dev.to
Introduction
Johannes Gutenberg’s printing technology was a systematization of letter‑press printing developed in mid‑15th‑century Germany.
By combining movable metal type, oil‑based ink, and a screw‑press printing machine, it made the mass production of books and the popularisation of knowledge possible.
Before this, book production in Europe was dominated by handwritten manuscripts created by scribes and by wood‑block printing. Producing large numbers of books required enormous amounts of labour and time. Even creating a single book involved significant effort, which meant that books were inevitably expensive and accessible only to the wealthy and privileged classes.
Letter‑press printing fundamentally overturned this premise.
Books shifted from being “possessions of a limited few” to becoming “objects that could be inexpensively distributed and shared.”
This technology spread rapidly across Europe and eventually throughout the world. As a result, it had a profound impact on the Renaissance, the Reformation, and even the development of modern science.
Looking back from a modern perspective, there is no doubt that letter‑press printing was a major turning point in human history.
Uneven Benefits
However, its spread did not bring uniform benefits to society.
- Scribes – whose profession specialised in copying books by hand – lost their jobs as demand for manual copying vanished.
- Related trades – merchants dealing in parchment, artisans producing illuminated manuscripts, and lower‑ranking clergy involved in manuscript production – also suffered significant setbacks.
At the same time, the mass circulation of books opened up the act of reading—previously limited to high‑ranking clergy and the privileged classes—to a much broader population. This was a revolutionary change in the popularisation of knowledge, but it also generated new forms of confusion.
- While printing enlightened people, it also rapidly spread differing ideas and interpretations, accelerating religious and political conflicts and divisions.
Nevertheless, once letter‑press printing was accepted by society, people did not stop using it. The reasons were simple:
- It allowed books to be printed quickly.
- It enabled low‑cost production.
- It made it possible to replicate the same content in large quantities.
These factors represented overwhelming rational advantages for those who used the technology. Society began using it before fully judging whether it was right or whether it might make someone unhappy (or perhaps those involved knew and chose to ignore it). Evaluation and meaning came only later.
A Parallel with AI
The reason I wrote this article is that I feel the historical circumstances surrounding printing technology share many similarities with the environment surrounding AI today.
The current situation surrounding AI closely resembles this structure.
- AI has already entered the stage of practical use, and some jobs are clearly beginning to be replaced. For example:
- Call‑center work
- Programmers
- Illustrators
- Administrative jobs
The list goes on.
Amid these changes, many people—including myself—are likely spending time without being able to determine “what will happen to my job?” or “whether this change is truly right?”
We also frequently encounter critical news about AI:
- Lawsuits against image‑generation platforms accused of using copyrighted works without permission.
- Issues involving the unauthorised use of news‑media content.
- Cases in which AI chatbots have been used for criminal purposes.
Each time I see such news, I feel that, much like printing technology, AI is a technology that entered society before sufficient safety mechanisms and social rules were fully established.
If there is a difference, it is that the speed of change is much faster than in the age of printing, and the scope of its impact is far broader.
Lessons from History
Looking back from the perspective of later generations, printing technology clearly contributed to human progress. It:
- Broke the monopoly on knowledge.
- Enabled diverse opinions and criticism.
- Supported the sharing and reproducibility of scientific knowledge.
However, this was not a future that people at the time predicted or intentionally chose. Printing was simply used continuously, became established in society, and only later came to be interpreted as “a technology that was good for humanity.”
So, what will happen to AI?
AI may well follow a similar path:
- Jobs will change, some will be lost, and new roles will emerge.
- Periods of confusion and pain are inevitable, and for some people the losses will be significant.
Even so, we have already begun living alongside AI.
Johannes Gutenberg’s printing technology, while accompanied by considerable pain and confusion, ultimately made a major contribution to the development of humanity.
AI, on the other hand, is still a technology whose value has not yet been determined.
- In the future, it may be subject to strong regulation and fall out of general use.
- Conversely, it may continue to improve, become widely adopted, and be accepted after appropriate safety mechanisms and social rules are put in place.
No one can say which future will come to pass.
What history shows us, however, is that the meaning and value of a technology can only be determined after it has continued to be used.
Printing technology was not initially recognised as something “good for humanity.” It was simply used, became established, and only later did its significance come to be discussed.
The same may be true of AI.
We are now living alongside a technology whose value has yet to be determined, spending time waiting for its meaning to be judged by history.
That is why I hope that AI, too, will ultimately bring something positive for humanity.
Thank you very much for reading!