You can still be a programmer and identify with and participate in that group. AI hasn't eliminated programmers or programming, and it never will.

However, my best advice as someone with many distinct interests is to avoid tying any one of these external things to your identity. Not a Buddhist, but I think that's the correct approach.

He sort of comes to this conclusion in the final "So then, who am I?" section. The answer is you are many things and you are nothing. You can live deeply in many groups and circles without making your identity dependent on them.

If you're a programmer, what happens when programming isn't needed anymore?

If you're a runner, what happens if you get injured?

It's always been helpful personally to remind myself that

I am not a programmer. I am a person who programs.

I am not a runner. I am a person who runs.