Boris Cherny, a leading engineer at Anthropic, has predicted a transformative shift in internet-based jobs across the United States due to the rise of advanced AI agents.

Rapidly Evolving AI Systems

During an appearance on "Lenny's Podcast," Cherny said that the new AI systems, capable of executing tasks on workplace computer tools, are rapidly evolving. These developments could soon impact roles such as software engineers, product managers, and designers.

"It’s going to expand to pretty much any kind of work that you can do on a computer," Cherny said. He warned that this shift might be disruptive and challenging for many.

"In the meantime, it’s going to be very disruptive. It’s going to be painful for a lot of people," he added.

Claude Code At The Forefront

Claude Code, Anthropic’s AI coding agent, is at the forefront of this change. Unlike traditional chatbots, it can perform complex tasks like running commands and building websites.

Cherny noted that productivity per engineer has significantly increased since Claude Code’s launch, and he expects further advancements.

"It’s the thing that I think brings agentic AI to people that haven’t really used it before, and people are starting to just get a sense of it for the first time," he said.

On Y Combinator’s “Lightcone” podcast, Cherny suggested that the job title
"software engineer" might disappear by 2026. He advised workers to embrace AI tools and understand their functions, urging, "Don’t be scared of them."

AI Beginning To Displace Young Workers, Says Fed's Barr

The potential impact of AI on the workforce is not limited to internet-based jobs. Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr has already warned that AI is beginning to displace young workers in entry-level positions, particularly in software development and customer service roles.

Nico Palesch, a senior economist at Oxford Economics, highlighted that up to 20% of the U.S. workforce could be exposed to disruptions from robotics and automation in the coming decades.

The labor market has already felt the impact, with over 100,000 job cuts in January, marking the worst start to a year since 2009.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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