Why Do Humans Fear Innovation? From Artificial Intelligence to All New Changes

 The Effort to Preserve Order Against Something New

Human history is the history of an endless conflict between those who seek innovation and those who cling to the existing order. When a new idea emerges, the first reaction is rarely curiosity; it is resistance. But why do people oppose change? Why do they defend what they know and flee from the unknown? Because innovation disrupts comfort, shakes established order, and strikes humans at their most vulnerable point: fear. What is new cannot be fully controlled, and humans fear what they cannot control.

To understand this resistance, we must first examine how opposition to change has appeared throughout history. The lives of prophets, revolutionaries, and scientists have almost without exception been marked by struggle, because each of them introduced an innovation that challenged the established order.

Some prophets did not merely introduce a new belief, but proposed an entirely new way of life. This was not simply telling people “you are mistaken,” but forcing them to question their values, rituals, social hierarchies, and sources of authority. Abandoning idol worship, questioning the privileges of the powerful, rejecting deeply rooted traditions—all of these posed a direct threat to the existing order. For this reason, prophets were often ostracized, mocked, exiled, or even targeted for death. Their call demanded not only a change of belief, but the abandonment of an entire way of life.

The same pattern appears with revolutionaries. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, for example, openly declared that the existing system had collapsed and that a new one had to be built. The uprisings by supporters of the monarchy after the proclamation of the Republic were no coincidence; people were accustomed to a system based on sultanate, not republican rule. The new order eliminated old privileges.

A similar dynamic can be seen in the case of Vladimir Lenin. When the monarchical system of Tsarist Russia was overthrown and a socialist system was proposed, those who benefited from the old order fiercely resisted the change. The new system aimed to transfer power away from the aristocracy to a different social class.

Likewise, when Nelson Mandela challenged the racially segregated system in South Africa, it was not merely a set of laws that came under threat, but an entire social balance. For those who benefited from apartheid, equality was not progress—it was loss.

In the same way, when Abraham Lincoln advocated the abolition of slavery, he disrupted not only a moral order but also an economic and political one. This demand for change led to a massive conflict that culminated in civil war.

The common thread among these examples is clear: revolutionary leaders do not merely offer “new ideas”; they declare that the existing order is wrong. For those who benefit from the old system, this represents an unacceptable threat. That is why innovation often encounters fierce resistance before it leads to progress.

Scientists have faced similar opposition when their discoveries challenged entrenched beliefs. When Galileo Galilei argued that Earth was not the center of the universe, he was not merely presenting an astronomical claim—he was questioning the religious and philosophical foundations of his time. As a result, he was tried, forced to recant, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest.

Nikola Tesla, with his groundbreaking ideas in electricity and energy, threatened the existing technological order. Innovations such as alternating current were obstructed by those seeking to protect their interests, and many of Tesla’s ideas were not accepted during his lifetime.

Giordano Bruno, who argued that the universe was infinite and that Earth did not occupy a privileged position, refused to renounce his ideas and was ultimately burned at the stake. His crime was not incorrect thinking, but challenging the established cosmic order.

1. What Is New Is Unknown, and the Unknown Can Be Anything

A) A New Animal, a New Plant

Imagine that you have never seen a cow in your life. When you encounter one for the first time, what you feel is not curiosity but unease. It is large, imposing, horned, and appears capable of causing harm. Over time, you may realize that it is harmless—often even more afraid of you than you are of it. Yet the initial reaction is fear, because the human brain instinctively interprets the unknown as a potential threat.

This reaction is not limited to animals. We hesitate to eat a plant we have never seen before, because it could be nourishing and delicious—or poisonous. This uncertainty forces us to act cautiously. An unfamiliar mushroom, a strangely colored fruit, or an unknown insect all trigger instinctive avoidance.

In early human history, this reflex was vital for survival. A strange sound in the dark could be nothing more than wind—or it could signal a predator. Until certainty was achieved, fear, flight, or defense increased the chances of survival. Entering an unfamiliar cave, crossing unknown territory, or encountering a foreign tribe all carried risks.

Conclusion

This response is not merely a personal preference or weakness; it is a survival mechanism developed over thousands of years. What is new is unknown, and the unknown produces fear—because it can be anything.

B) The Disruption of Routine Life

Our lives flow within routines. A student goes to school, studies, and spends time with friends; an adult goes to work, plans the day, and spends evenings with family or a social circle. Routine provides security because it allows us to anticipate what will happen next.

But when that routine changes, uncertainty emerges. Moving to a new place means changing schools: Will I make friends? What will the teachers be like? Changing jobs raises similar questions: What kind of person is the boss? Will the salary be paid on time? Will my coworkers be cooperative or problematic? Even moving into a new home brings anxiety: Are the neighbors noisy? Will they complain at the slightest sound?

The common element in all these situations is being forced into an unfamiliar order.

Conclusion

In short, what is new is what we do not know. We fear what we do not know because the unknown can be good or bad. Until this uncertainty is resolved, people tend to resist change.

2. The Shift of Balance

Every innovation brings a new balance. Those who cannot find a place for themselves within that new balance inevitably rebel and resist change.

A) A New Economic Balance

New economic systems create winners as well as losers. For this reason, the strongest resistance often comes from those who benefit from the existing system.

Taxi drivers, for example, earned good money within a regulated system until a new model emerged: Uber. With this system, the requirement to purchase expensive taxi licenses disappeared, and almost anyone could offer transportation using their own vehicle. This disrupted the economic balance of traditional taxi drivers. Expecting them to support this new system is unrealistic, because innovation directly threatens their livelihood.

A similar situation occurred in the accommodation sector. Hotels operated under strict rules and heavy investments for decades, while platforms like Airbnb enabled individuals to rent out their homes. This created a new competitive landscape and provoked strong reactions.

Likewise, the rise of digital streaming platforms disrupted traditional television and cinema. Services like Netflix changed viewing habits, placing the classical broadcasting model under economic strain. For a long time, this transformation was perceived as a threat by established actors in the industry.

In the energy sector, the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy investments has undermined the interests of companies dependent on fossil fuels. Their resistance is not technological but economic in nature.

Conclusion

All these examples point to the same truth: innovation redistributes economic balance. While some gain, others lose. Resistance often stems not from innovation itself, but from the loss of position.

B) The Emergence of New Professions and the Disappearance of Old Ones

New systems transform not only technology but also professions. Every innovation creates new job opportunities while inevitably eliminating others. In this context, resistance arises not from the innovation itself, but from the loss of livelihoods.

With the spread of digital photography, film cameras and the analog photography industry largely disappeared. Companies that failed to adapt, such as Kodak, fell behind despite once dominating the sector. Meanwhile, entirely new professions emerged in digital imaging, software, and data storage.

Similarly, video rental stores vanished with the rise of online streaming platforms. Blockbuster is one of the most well-known examples. While physical stores closed, fields such as content production, algorithm development, and digital broadcasting expanded.

The spread of the printing press eliminated the profession of manuscript scribes, yet gave rise to publishing, editing, and printing industries. During the Industrial Revolution, weavers and craftsmen lost their jobs to machines, while factories, engineering, and mass production-based professions emerged.

Today, artificial intelligence and automation threaten occupations ranging from data entry to call center work, while simultaneously creating new professions such as data science, AI engineering, ethics consultancy, and system auditing.

Conclusion

These examples clearly show that every new system opens some doors while closing others. Resistance from those whose professions disappear or are endangered is not irrational—it is an existential defense mechanism. Resistance is often rooted not in fear of the future, but in attachment to a lost past.

General Conclusion

What is new often creates chaos in its initial stage. Every innovation disrupts existing order, disturbs familiar balances, and generates temporary uncertainty. The old system collapses before the new one is fully established—and it is this in-between space that people fear most.

As people move within a familiar system, someone emerges and declares, “This system is wrong” or “It is incomplete,” proposing a new one. But this new system has not yet been tested. How it will function, whether it will succeed, and whether unforeseen consequences will arise all remain uncertain. No matter how thoroughly it is explained, doubts persist.

Moreover, abandoning habits is difficult. People often prefer living with the flaws of a known system to facing the risks of an unknown one. Therefore, what is new is not merely change—it is uncertainty. And uncertainty generates fear. This is the true foundation of resistance to innovation.

Contemporary Fear of Change: Artificial Intelligence

Today, artificial intelligence is everywhere. The same questions circulate in news outlets, social media, workplaces, and everyday conversations: Where is this technology going? How will it affect us? But is this widespread anxiety about AI truly new, or are we witnessing a repetition of humanity’s age-old response to change?

The picture is strikingly familiar. Artificial intelligence is one of the greatest unknowns of our time. Like religions, revolutions, and scientific discoveries before it, it has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the existing order. It may reshape how we work, produce, define professions, and even understand what it means to be human. Fear begins precisely here.

The questions sound the same in every era:

Will it take our jobs?

Will it devalue human labor?

Will it escape our control and harm us?

Will it bring about the end of humanity?

These questions are not unique to artificial intelligence; they accompany all major transformations. AI is not merely a new tool—it represents a new balance, a new economic structure, and a new distribution of power. Some professions will transform, some will disappear, some people will gain advantages while others lose their place—just as in the past.

The core issue is not what artificial intelligence is, but how humans relate to uncertainty. People fear what they cannot control and become defensive when outcomes cannot be fully predicted. In this sense, artificial intelligence is less a technical development than a psychological and social test.

Technology may have advanced dramatically; algorithms, machines, and systems may be more complex than ever before. Yet the human response remains remarkably consistent: fear, resistance, and suspicion. What is primitive is not the technology, but the reflex triggered by uncertainty.

Ultimately, fear of artificial intelligence is not panic about the future, but a habit inherited from the past. Change has always been unsettling. History shows us that the real question is not “Will this innovation come?” but “How will we adapt to it?”