Tired of being told I’m getting replaced

I’m starting a PhD in the fall and I’m tired of people telling me that soon research in my field is gonna be automated by AI. I feel like that undermines a lot of the hard work and passion I’ve put in over the last few years.

Perhaps all my work is gonna be obsolete and devalued in a few years, however I fail to understand why people expect me to be excited about that. I’ve dreamt about starting a PhD for years, but now I mostly feel as sense of dread.

This is made more difficult by me choosing to study in the bay area.