AI Engineer will be the LAST job (www.latent.space)

A recent discussion from Citadel emphasizes the evolving landscape of AI jobs, claiming that "AI Engineer will be the LAST job" in the context of AI's rising capabilities. As companies like OpenAI and Anthropic estimate AI's potential to perform around 70% of white-collar tasks, the debate surrounding job security has intensified. The assertion points to a future where AI can execute an increasing share of labor traditionally handled by humans, potentially leading to a dramatic transformation in the workforce by 2026. This evolution can be associated with Jevons Paradox, where increased efficiency in one domain—such as software engineering—could lead to the obsolescence of other professions. The implications are significant for the AI/ML community, as it raises questions about the future role of AI engineers versus AI researchers. With emerging AI models already achieving significant milestones in coding tasks, there's a suggestion that engineers will continue to deploy and optimize AI capabilities long after researchers contribute their innovations. The upcoming shift towards Knowledge Work Agents and their ability to automate increasingly complex tasks indicates a potential crisis in job availability, pushing the conversation about Universal Basic Income and the restructuring of labor markets to the forefront of AI discourse.