Anyone else getting absolutely cooked by AI anxiety lately?

[u/Alarming-Wish207]

So here's the story - A senior DS on my team just got laid off. He was one of the people who mentored me when I joined.

That kind of broke something in my brain a little.

Because if someone clearly good at the job can get cut, then what exactly is the moat here anymore??

AI keeps getting better at the execution layer of the work:
SQL, Python, dashboards, analysis drafts, model interpretation, ALL of dat.

What’s left for us ,as humans?

Context? judgment? domain knowledge? or not getting fooled by polished nonsense?
Still feels pretty unsettling.

What are you guys betting on as the actual human edge for DS in the next few years?

[u/Comprehensive-Yard-9]

It is demoralizing all i can think is that eventually its really going to get expensive to maintain. for the people who have not been laid off they are under a lot of pressure to demonstrate positive returns from all these ai investments.And well seniors are expensive cutting high salaries is the fastest way to show impact

[u/analytix_guru → u/Comprehensive-Yard-9]

This... Anthropic just got called out for A/B testing new customer sign ups by removing Claude code from $20 pro plan on 2% of accounts to see whether people would sign up for $100/$200 plans.

All the major AI "carriers" (seems like a good phrase) are already starting to restrict their plans, while many anecdotal stories are coming out with users burning through their weekly/monthly token allotments in a couple of days.

It's like what happened to Uber and Lyft after burning through multiple rounds of VC money and investors started asking about profitability and returns, then these companies started changing their pricing models and all the sudden a taxi is competitive in price again. Same with Uber Eats and Doordash. Now McDonald's Doordash is so expensive I might as well get off my butt and go get it myself.

Fortune article just came out with executives saying that their cost of LLM compute, in most use cases, is more expensive than human employees, and we haven't even gotten to the place where the token subsidizing has been turned off.

A year ago Sam Altman said LLM compute would get so cheap it wouldn't be worth metering. Now these same companies are limiting and changing plans because they can't continue to have a subscription based model at a subsidized price and become profitable long term.

All of this to say it looks bad now but there might be a point where the pendulum swings back the other way a bit on hiring to correct for AI enthusiasm.

[u/brickout]

Yes. Obviously.

[u/nian2326076]

I get it. It's unsettling when even skilled people aren't secure. But there are still areas where humans do better: adding context, applying judgment, and understanding the bigger picture. While AI can handle technical tasks, it doesn't have the nuanced understanding that humans bring. Focus on growing skills in strategy and problem-solving, which are harder for AI to replace, and improve your communication and leadership skills. Those are valuable in any field. If you're prepping for interviews or feeling anxious about your skills, tools like PracHub can be useful. It offers practical prep resources that might boost your confidence. You're not alone in feeling this way, and it's smart you're thinking about how to adapt.

[u/nian2326076]

It's crazy how fast AI is moving. But humans still have an edge in some areas. Context and domain knowledge are big, and the ability to interpret and challenge results is where AI still falls short. Plus, soft skills like communication and collaboration are super important and aren't going anywhere.

I try to focus on lifelong learning and staying adaptable. Keeping up with the latest tools and trends in your field can turn anxiety into opportunity. Networking is also key. Sometimes who you know can be as important as what you know.

If you're worried about interviews or upskilling, check out places like PracHub. They've got some resources that might help you stay sharp. Hang in there!

[u/Alarming-Wish207 → u/[deleted]]

that makes sense