Every Job Is Now “AI” — What’s Actually Going On?

TL;DR

• AI suddenly appears in every job title and product
• This creates anxiety — especially among developers
• The fear is understandable, but often misdirected
• AI is changing expectations, not replacing engineers
• This article separates signal from noise

If You Feel Uneasy — You’re Not Alone

Lately it feels like every job is AI.

AI-powered products. AI-first companies. AI engineers everywhere.

Even if you’re not afraid of losing your job, it’s hard not to feel uneasy. Something fundamental seems to be shifting, and the rules of the game feel less clear than they did a few years ago.

This isn’t panic.

It’s uncertainty — and uncertainty is uncomfortable, especially for people who like deterministic systems, clear rules, and predictable outcomes.

Why This Time Feels Louder Than Before

We’ve been through hype cycles before: cloud, mobile, microservices, crypto, Web3.

So why does this one feel different?

Because AI is:

• Visible — you can talk to it
• Fast — adoption feels instant
• Cross‑disciplinary — it touches code, writing, design, thinking
• Emotionally charged — it feels personal

Previous hype cycles mostly changed infrastructure.

AI appears to change people — and that hits closer to home.

What the Market Is Doing vs. What’s Actually Changing

Right now, the market reaction is louder than the reality.

What companies say

• “We need AI engineers”
• “AI will 10× productivity”
• “Smaller teams can do more now”

What’s really happening

• Companies are chasing efficiency, not magic
• Low‑leverage work is being compressed
• Expectations for senior engineers are rising
• Ambiguity is increasing, not disappearing

The market is reacting faster than it understands the consequences.

The Dangerous Assumption: That Code Was the Job

AI can generate code.

That fact alone triggered a dangerous assumption: that writing code was the core value of a software developer.

It never was.

Code is a medium. Not the product.

Software exists to support decisions, processes, and people. If writing code were the job, software engineering would have been solved years ago.

Why This Anxiety Is Rational (But Temporary)

Feeling uneasy right now makes sense.

• The rules are changing mid‑game
• There’s no clear career playbook yet
• The signal‑to‑noise ratio is terrible
• Juniors and seniors are affected differently

Periods like this don’t eliminate professionals.

They filter them.

What This Series Is Not

Let’s be explicit.

This series is:

• ❌ Not anti‑AI
• ❌ Not doomposting
• ❌ Not prompt‑engineering content
• ❌ Not fear‑based career advice

It is about staying valuable after the noise fades.

What’s Next

In the next posts, I’ll explore:

• Why AI raises the floor, not the ceiling
• Why "seniority" is being redefined
• What skills compound instead of decay
• How strong engineers use AI without trusting it

The real question isn’t whether AI will replace developers.

It’s which developers will thrive after the hype settles.

Want to Discuss This?

I don’t run comments on this blog.

If this resonates — or if you strongly disagree — feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn. I genuinely enjoy thoughtful discussions.