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If AI completely erases the profession of software developer, I'll find something else to do. Like I can't in good faith ever oppose a technology just because it's going to make my job redundant, that would be insane.

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Take that to its extreme. Suppose there was a technology that you do not own that would make everyone's job redundant. Everyone out of a job. There is no need for education, for skills to be mastered, for expertise. Would it still be insane to complain?

There are bigger issues if everyone is out of a job.

Then society needs to collectively decide how to allocate resources. Uh oh!

the resources go to the guys with the AI duh

The owners of the AI companies will collectively decide how to allocate resources, rather.

Isnt' that what old-school software did for many years? It used to take jobs, just not from developers. If you implement software that takes accounting from 10 people to 2, 8 just got fired. If you have Support solution helping one support rep answer 100 requests instead of 20, you just optimised support force by the rate of 1 to 5.

I'm in the boat of SaaS myself, but feel a bit dishonesty from Senior devs complaining about technology stealing jobs. When it was them doing the stealing, it was fine. Now that the tables have turned, it's not technology is bad

Jevons' paradox still exists. Making X cheaper (usually by needing fewer people to do one unit of X) can and often does lead to more people being needed for X.

take that to absolute extreme. Why do we even need a job? If all our physical needs are met maybe humanity can finally focus on real problems (spiritual, mental, inter personal) that no amount of "jobs" can solve...

Because greedy capitalists control the world which means that most people's most basic needs aren't met if they don't have a job.

I believe that if situation gets that bad, then we will actually do some new kind of revolution, even in the West.

You still need education, skills to be mastered and expertise even in a world without jobs. How would you play any game or sport without skills?

A world where there is no need for work? Oh no, my steak is too juicy and my lobster is too buttery.

A world where there is no need for workers--not at all the same thing.

You may not end up with a seat at the table.

There may not be a job for you in an office setting. What would you do?

That's when the problem shifts from individual to systemic, and only systemic solutions fix systemic problems.

I think that a what a lot of anti-AI folks are trying to argue without saying it explicitly is that it already is a systemic problem. They're not necessarily against the technology on its own, but against the systemic problems it would introduce if society doesn't take a stance against it.

I'd buy some good gloves and steel-toed boots.

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