taylorism

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.