Engineers in the Age of AI: Endangered Species or Rising to New Value?

In recent years, the rapid evolution of generative AI has dramatically reshaped the programming landscape.

Tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot can now generate code directly from natural language, producing in minutes what used to take engineers hours to write.

As a result, the very role of junior engineers—those whose primary job has been to “write simple code”—is increasingly being questioned. Here in 2025, this trend has become clearer than ever, and it is no exaggeration to say that junior engineers are becoming an endangered species.

The Hierarchy of Engineers and Their Roles

Junior Engineers
0–3 years of experience.
Basic coding skills, mostly small fixes or straightforward implementation.
Focus is on following instructions correctly rather than solving problems.

Mid-Level Engineers
3–7 years of experience.
Take on partial responsibility for design and feature development.
Capable of writing stable code on their own, while effectively leveraging AI tools.

Senior Engineers
7+ years of experience.
Involved in design, architecture decisions, code review, and mentoring.
Not just “coders,” but the ones who safeguard quality and set the direction of the team.

The Space AI Is Taking Over

Generative AI excels at combining existing knowledge into usable code—precisely the territory where junior engineers used to contribute.

For companies, it is now more cost-effective to let mid-level or senior engineers harness AI, rather than hire and train juniors from scratch.

The Pitfalls of Imperfect AI

AI is far from perfect. It often produces code that looks correct, yet fails on subtle requirements, edge cases, or security concerns.

The problem is clear: someone must have the knowledge to tell right from wrong. If juniors blindly trust AI outputs, flawed logic and vulnerabilities will pile up, degrading system quality over time.

Ultimately, when bugs or failures surface, it is senior engineers who can step in and fix them. That is why “upstream knowledge” is more critical than ever in this new era.

A Reality Already Unfolding in the U.S.

In the United States, these trends are already visible. According to one engineer, until late 2022 hiring was still relatively easy, even into Big Tech. But today, even mid-tier companies like Airbnb or Uber have tightened recruitment, leaving juniors with less than three years’ experience struggling to find opportunities.

Why?

• Mass layoffs have flooded the market with talent (oversupply)
• Companies are cutting back on new hires (lack of demand)

Combined with the rise of AI, the necessity of junior roles is shrinking.

Japan Will Not Be Immune

Japan’s IT industry has historically followed U.S. trends with a time lag. It is only a matter of time before the same dynamic hits here.

Startups and SMEs, in particular, are already adopting AI aggressively to stretch limited resources. For them, it is more practical to empower a small team of mid-level and senior engineers with AI than to invest heavily in training juniors.

The Conclusion: The Rising Value of Senior Engineers

Yes, the AI era puts junior engineers in a difficult position. But at the same time, it dramatically raises the value of senior engineers who can:

• Spot errors in AI-generated code
• Guide architecture and design decisions
• Lead teams and optimize development through AI

Juniors are not going away entirely—but those who rely only on “simple coding tasks” risk being left behind. The key to survival will be mastering AI, and climbing the ladder to mid-level and senior positions faster than before.

In 2025, AI has fundamentally changed what it means to be an engineer.
Yet the role of safeguarding quality, understanding the essence of technology, and being the “final line of defense” remains uniquely human—and for now, it rests squarely with senior engineers.

The importance of those who can control quality while leveraging AI will only continue to grow.