Anthropic Engineer Issues Stark Warning About AI's Impact on Computer-Based Professions
Borsi Cherny, a prominent engineer at artificial intelligence company Anthropic, has delivered a sobering prediction about the future of internet-based employment. Speaking on Lenny's Podcast, Cherny forecast that advanced AI agents will rapidly expand into virtually every type of computer-based occupation, ranging from software engineering to product management and design roles.
"It's going to expand to pretty much any kind of work that you can do on a computer," Cherny stated, emphasizing that this technological transition will prove disruptive and painful for numerous workers across multiple industries. His comments were reported by financial news outlet Benzinga and have sparked significant discussion within technology circles.
Claude Code Leading the AI Transformation
At the forefront of this workplace revolution stands Claude Code, Anthropic's sophisticated AI coding agent. Unlike conventional chatbots, Claude Code possesses the capability to execute commands, construct websites, and perform complex technical tasks with increasing autonomy. Cherny revealed that productivity per engineer has already demonstrated measurable improvement since Claude Code's introduction, with expectations of further acceleration as agentic AI technology becomes mainstream.
During an appearance on Y Combinator's Lightcone podcast, Cherny made an even more dramatic prediction, suggesting the job title "software engineer" could potentially disappear entirely by 2026 as AI systems assume more programming responsibilities.
Adaptation Over Resistance: Cherny's Advice to Workers
Despite these concerning predictions, Cherny encourages professionals to adapt rather than resist the advancing technology. "Don't be scared of them," he advised, stressing the critical importance of understanding how AI tools function and strategically integrating them into existing workflows. The engineer believes agentic AI represents only the beginning of technological potential, with many professionals just now experiencing its transformative capabilities for the first time.
Growing Economic Concerns About AI's Labor Market Impact
Cherny's warning emerges during a period of escalating anxiety about artificial intelligence's effect on employment markets. Recently, Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr cautioned that AI is already displacing young professionals in entry-level positions, particularly within software development and customer service sectors. These concerns are substantiated by research from Oxford Economics, which estimates that approximately 20% of the United States workforce could face automation-driven disruption in coming decades.
The convergence of expert warnings and economic research paints a complex picture of technological advancement intersecting with workforce stability. As AI agents like Claude Code demonstrate increasing proficiency across computer-based tasks, industries must prepare for significant structural changes in how work is organized and performed in the digital age.
