In Praise of Luddite Folly

• In Event: Stochastic Parrot or Creative Partner?: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Slavic Literary Studies & Translation

Abstract

In my paper, I read Sentimental Tales by Mikhail Zoshchenko with an eye for parodic depictions of jobs at risk. While exploring the affordances of skaz as a political form, I identify early precursors for current debates on labor automation in critical theory. I also seek to bring Zoshchenko's artistic concerns into conversation with recent social histories of AI as the intelligence of labor and social relations.