And those examples were not cases where companies went back to manual work after using AI. They were examples of companies regretting laying off their experts.

The point GP is making, which I understand seems dismissive, is that AI is a tool that people are not retreating from, because it offers the same sorts of gains as previous tool improvements we've seen in the field: from compilers to IDEs to sites like Stack Overflow. I think adding AI to that group of improvements makes a ton of sense, as it has the capacity to provide similar gains in productivity.

Exactly. It's quite scary that some people are reacting viciously to this type of question. There's real insecurity here...