Taste, Aesthetics, Gestalt Synergy now matter more.
AI optimizes for "Accuracy" (minimizing error), but it cannot optimize for "Taste" because Taste is not a variable in its loss function.
As code becomes abundant and cheap, "Aesthetics" and "Gestalt" will become the only scarcity left. The Architect's job is not to build, but to choose what is beautiful.
To extend your analogy: AI is effectively mass-producing 'Subprime Housing'. It has amazing curb appeal (glittering paint), but as a banker, I'd rate this as a 'Toxic Asset' with zero collateral value.
The scary part is that the 'interest rate' on this technical debt is variable. Eventually, it becomes cheaper to declare bankruptcy (rewrite from scratch) than to pay off the renovation costs.
I've been able to save people money and time. If someone comes in later and has a more elegant solution for the same $60 effort I spent great! Otherwise I'll continue saving people money and time with my non-perfect code.
In banking terms, you are treating AI code as "OPEX" (Operating Expense) rather than "CAPEX" (Capital Expenditure). As long as we treat these $60 quick-fixes as "depreciating assets" (use it and throw it away), it’s great ROI.
My warning was specifically about the danger of mistaking these quick-fixes for "Long-term Capital Assets." As long as you know it's a disposable tool, not a foundation, we are on the same page.
The AI is better at that too. Truth is, nothing matters except the maximal delusion. Only humans can generate that. Only humans can make a goal they find meaningful.