It’s been a topic of discussion at work and among a few friends. We all work in tech, and unless you’re living under a rock, the talk of AI taking over jobs is hard to escape. More companies are adopting AI and mandating that developers start using it to get their work done.

While talking to a colleague last week, someone fully on board with using AI to get things done, he questioned what his role really was when working on the ticket assigned. There were requirements, those requirements were passed on to the AI assistant, which then wrote the code and tests. Ensuring that what was written matched the requirements was the main task. “Developer Analyst”, not sure if that’s a real job title, but that’s what my colleague felt like.

Friends are concerned about the market collapsing due to the number of people being let go from roles that have now been automated. These conversations reminded me of a time when some family members were asked to voluntarily retire from their positions at the bank because computers and software could now handle the work. What once needed 100 people now needed only 20.

It’s not good for your mental health to constantly fear the future. If AI is coming for your way of making a living, the best you can do is be prepared. Have a few ideas in mind for what your next plan of action could be. You can overthink these scenarios, it’s tough not to. No one knows what the future holds.

Next time you spiral into thoughts of AI doomsday, take a notepad and pen, and answer this question: What are you going to do?