The final verdict that software engineers wont exist x years from now is a bit contrived. Today, my team is looking to hire an AI software engineer. I reached out to my close group of developer friends to gauge interest only to find out that each one of them is ALSO trying to find/hire software engineers, all looking for this new "paradigm" of programming knowledge. Maybe how the role itself looks different today than it did 5 years ago but it seems like every company is trying to accelerate their development and finding new opportunities that didn't exist before the AI craze.

More than anything, I believe that AI is pushing out those who enjoyed the ~act~ of programming more than the product being delivered itself. Mostly because those individuals might have the hardest time adopting this new way of getting things done.

And honestly, I feel for them. Coding has always felt like an art form to me. Nothing feels better than someone commenting on the elegance/beauty of something youve written.