The difference is the speed and generality of the change brought on by this specific tech. That is why AI/ML is so heavily capitalized right now, people with capital know the power of this. Previous changes were painful (automation of auto manufacturing + offshoring of auto manufacturing led directly to political backlash for decades) but they were scoped to individual industries at a time and with enough time for society to adjust. I think AI/ML is a step change in the speed of this and we won't be able to just muddle through it like we did with manufacturing automation.

At least that is my thought on how this is different, I am aware that this has been said for basically every previous technological advancement.