[rsd79]

For the last 20 years in web development you've adapted to plenty of technology changes. Double the 20 years timeframe and you'll find developers working in assembler on daily basis - just think about how far you are from there. AI is a very significant change (maybe even the most significant one in the 40 years timeframe) and a serious risk if your plan was to stop adapting, but it is essentially a tool to bring programming to a higher level of abstraction. Less work on form validations, but more on building value.

We are still early adopters in using AI to increase productivity. The society as a whole is not yet aware of what is coming and the results are essentially unpredictable. Your attachment to the top 5% salary band might be irrelevant in 10 or 20 years because we might live in some kind of eco-utopia by then. Or all wealth might move to AI-controlling entities, in which your current standing is irrelevant and beyond your control.

Stop worrying. Focus on figuring out ways to increase your output with the help of the new tool or invest in AI to ride the wave you expect to drown in. You're way ahead of the 7.5b other people.