Erica, the person you debated with, repeatedly telling you that you are in denial, apparently did not have the depth to be able to discuss the issue, so you were right to end the discussion.

However, the issue is complicated, and the situation depends on how far in the future one is talking about. If one is talking about the next ten years, then yes, your job is safe, and authenticity is a key asset.

But farther out, it is less clear. If machines reach a point where they actually understand what they are doing (not the case today, but many believe that machines that understand are only a couple of decades away), then they will be — from a practical perspective — sentient, and so they will be as authentic as you and I.

And they will not be confined to a box, but will be even more mobile than you and I are, and will have relationships that we cannot even fathom.

One can only guess at the kinds of novels that they might write…