The subhead from this article in The Atlantic says it all: Artificial intelligence is ideally suited to replacing the very type of person who built it.

From 2005 to 2023, the number of comp-sci majors in the United States quadrupled. All of which makes the latest batch of numbers so startling. This year, enrollment grew by only 0.2 percent nationally. […] Artificial intelligence has proved to be even more valuable as a writer of computer code than as a writer of words. This means it is ideally suited to replacing the very type of person who built it. A recent Pew study found that Americans think software engineers will be most affected by generative AI.

I used to joke that (in 1966) I majored in Stay Out of Vietnam. Even back then, I couldn’t imagine what I would do with a major in Speech/Theater. But according to the Atlantic article, economists are suggesting college students “Major in a subject that offers enduring, transferable skills.”

I think of that sometimes when I’m writing a big check to the appliance repairman, the heating and AC service guy, or the plumber and electrician.