[davydm]

the very first example runs counter to the argument:

which do you think requires more craftsmanship: 1. the guy who flips a switch and watches the machine implement the design, or 2. the guy who implements the design by hand

it's an easy answer: which one would cost more? which one would be sought-after? which one would be at the local walmart?

and the machine can arguably do better than a human - but we still treasure the craftsmanship of the human who produces such things far over the outputs of a machine, most especially far over outputs that are based on dated techniques, resistant to improving, and clearly derivative.

you could make other arguments about ai codegen, but this one - sorry bub, you shot yourself down in the first section - at some point, you're not an artisan wielding a better tool - you're just a monkey pushing a lever, and honestly, a lot of software these days doesn't really need a craftsman, so go ahead and be an honest blue-collar worker.