division-of-labour

Part II of Matteo Pasquinelli's 'The Eye of the Master' explores the historical and social foundations of artificial intelligence, emphasizing AI as an extension of labour and social relations rather than mere biological imitation. It traces the evolution of automation from Enlightenment calculation projects through industrial division of labour, Taylorism, and mechanisation, culminating in the contemporary challenges of automating complex cognitive and cooperative tasks such as driving. The chapter argues that AI encodes collective human knowledge and praxis into algorithmic models, revealing the intelligence inherent in manual and social activities traditionally overlooked.

This chapter traces the origins of automated computation to the early 19th century Industrial Age, focusing on Charles Babbage's invention of the Difference Engine as a mechanisation of mental labour, specifically hand calculation. It situates Babbage's work within the social and industrial context of division of labour, maritime navigation needs, and the drive for error-free logarithmic tables, highlighting how computation emerged as a tool of industrial capitalism rather than abstract mathematics. The chapter also contrasts Babbage's machine with contemporaneous technologies like the Jacquard loom, emphasizing the embodied algorithmic nature of the Difference Engine and its roots in the division of labour exemplified by Gaspard de Prony's collective calculation method.