[thisisthenewme]

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_pr...

That graph places software engineers in the top-right quadrant, suggesting that they are predictable and "grammatical". However, I believe there should be a distinction between writing code and engineering. I would not classify software engineering as entirely predictable. For instance, while you could use a script to handle emojis with ChatGPT's help, it would be challenging to use the same strategy for a solution involving large systems that have multiple failure points and span multiple regions. Moreover, even if such a system were successful, multiple redundancies would need to be in place to prevent large-scale disruptions caused by downstream failures.

On the other hand, the chart places executives and investors on the 'safer' side. However, I think that with the real-time information available to AI, investing as a 'job' could be at a higher risk of being replaced. The same could be true for many executive positions (assuming that we are comparing merit-based positions to those based on nepotism).

[anchochilis]

I do think a future where AI can generate convincing-but-subtly-flawed blog posts like this one is closer than one where chatgpt generates correct, on-spec production code. Maybe influences and hustlers will be the first to go.

Someone should make an AI-generated crypto-influencer persona. Virtual YouTube, Twitter presence. Mint a new coin once per week, hawk it to the masses. I bet they could make decent money.

I am afraid that as long as humans are writing code there will be other humans in charge of ensuring their work is profitable. We won't be able to do away with executives just yet, unfortunately.

[brigadier132]

Agreed. All these people that think their "soft" jobs are safe. Nope yours will be the first to go. The last to go will be the ones that require actual physical presence.

[pclmulqdq]

Also, it's looking more and more like jobs that involve hard math and logic will be sticking around for a long time in the new AI regime. I have tried to get chatgpt, copilot, and llama to write lock-free stacks and other examples of simple but difficult code, and it has not gone well.

"Soft skill" jobs like executives and managers are definitely on the chopping block first.

[anon7725]

> "Soft skill" jobs like executives and managers are definitely on the chopping block first.

Wouldn’t that be some delicious irony? Never gonna happen but it would be quite funny if it did.

[pclmulqdq]

It's already happening - HR departments and recruiters are getting the ax in most of the major rounds of layoffs. An AI system that can write "nice" emails will replace at least half of HR jobs these days.

I think the "ladder climbers" aren't going to be fully replaced, but their ranks are already getting thinned, too.