The idea of people gathering in one place to do work for one employer is a comparatively recent idea, introduced when the Industrial Revolution brought workers in from farms and small-scale artisan workshops to work in factories in the interests of scale and efficiency.
For the tech CEOs leading the AI race and enriching themselves as they jostle for dominance, AI isn't a phantasm at all, but a glimmering unicorn. When they predict AI is just months away from being able to do everything a software engineer does, or that it will one day take over CEOs' jobs, their excitement for the future is palpable.