Ludd in the Machine

A community-led exhibition at Leeds Industrial Museum tracing trade unions and workers' rights from the 1812 Luddite Riots to today's debates over AI.

This exhibition at Leeds Industrial Museum explores the history of trade unions and workers' rights, beginning with the Luddite Riots of 1812, when protests erupted against wage cuts and machinery replacing jobs. It looks at the legalisation of trade unions twelve years later and how the movement has changed since the 19th century, with a focus on workers' rights during the 1970s and 1980s. The display draws parallels between past and present tensions of man versus machine, connecting historical struggles to current debates about AI and the modern job market. The museum is open Tuesdays to Fridays 10am–5pm and Saturdays and Sundays noon–5pm, closed Mondays.