> We've used our software development skills to automate other people out of work for what can be argued to be literally decades.

And that's the shitty part of the job, and everyone should be uncomfortable with it. I haven't literally automated anyone out of a job (that I know), but I definitely did not like finding out (after the fact) that one project was meant to enable a large offshoring effort.

> Each time we did it, we certainly expected that the people affected would find other work.

I do not expect that. That's a comforting lie people tell themselves.

> New jobs were created. The world didn't end. I honestly don't think it would be that much worse this time.

It didn't end, but it often got significantly worse for some. If the AI hype pans out, it's going to get significantly worse for software engineers. Your "newly created job," if it exists, will likely pay out a lot less that you're used to. At best, you'll get knocked down to the bottom of the career ladder.

It's a mistake to think about things in aggregate like you're doing. It's easy to hide inconvenient truths.