In a previous life I was a specialized developer with a career built over many years on a particular software package. The knowledge base inside my head was considerable, and valuable.

Then, the package developers decided to change direction and rewrite from the ground up using an entirely different underlying framework. Most APIs were changed or replaced with little or no backwards compatibility. The codebase went from functional to OOP. The templating system was replaced entirely.

Almost overnight basically the entirety of the specialized knowledge I had spent years accumulating was nullified. Rendered obsolete. It was fairly hard to come to terms with.

I suspect that many, many more people are about to encounter a similar feeling.

Some of them will say fuck it, and become a plumber instead. They will flood the physical labor market and that $300 job will become $30.

Others will attempt to remain in their cognitive field, now competing in an arena with entirely different rules, and different players. Sure, their productivity might increase 10x, but the AI will outcompete them 1000x. The $30,000 iPhone app will become $30, generated by a simple prompt to an NLP.

The vast majority of people in both segments will fall into poverty.

Maybe the Luddites were on to something?