Jobs · Junior software developer
Will AI replace software engineers?
Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 63% of the working time in a typical junior software developer job today. The other 37% still needs a person.
17 responsibilities · a typical junior software developer job
37% of the work still needs a person.
Median pay $105,210 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).
Still needs a person
- Supervise engineers and technical staff
- Assign and review work for a team
AI can do or help with
- Monitor systems against their specs AI helps
- Fix, adapt and speed up existing code AI can do it
- Work with engineers to design systems AI helps
- Check if requirements fit time and budget AI helps
- Write tests and technical documentation AI can do it
- Pull and analyze system data AI can do it
The biggest responsibilities of each kind. "AI helps" means a person still does it, with AI taking on part of the time. See all 17, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.
Is this your job?
Upload your résumé to see your Human Edge: how much of your experience is in the 37% that still needs a person. You also get a free plan with what to learn next. We never keep your résumé.
Questions people ask
Will AI replace software engineers?
Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 63% of the working time in a typical junior software developer job today. The other 37% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.
Which parts of the job can AI do?
The biggest ones AI can do or help with: monitor systems against their specs, fix, adapt and speed up existing code, work with engineers to design systems, check if requirements fit time and budget, write tests and technical documentation, pull and analyze system data.
Which parts still need a person?
The biggest ones: supervise engineers and technical staff, assign and review work for a team.
How is this measured?
Each of the 17 responsibilities the U.S. Department of Labor lists for this job (O*NET 31.0) is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. Scores version 0.3.1, updated September 24, 2026.
Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.
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