The political and economic forces behind the Fourth Industrial Revolution are generating a powerful new wave of technological automation throughout our societies. A vision for the future is being realised that appears to leave little space for grassroots innovation. And vet across a kaleidoscope of grassroots networks an industrious class of hackers, citizen scientists, makers, activists and repairers are appropriating and subverting the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In place of automation's foundations in capital accumulation, managerial control, and labour productivity, these grassroots innovators are cultivating more plural
relations with technology, rooted in human creativity, conviviality, and care. In this presentation we'll discuss some examples and consider whether and how this 'post-automation' capacity could help to democratise our
technological futures.