Will AI replace network administrators?

Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 68% of the working time in a typical network administrator job today. The other 32% still needs a person.

Network administrator at work

32% of the work still needs a person.

Needs a person: 32%A person checking AI: 27%AI alone: 41%

The bracket under the bar is the evidence range for the share AI could take on: 41 to 68%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry.

18 responsibilities in a typical network administrator job. Median pay $99,130 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Diagnose and fix network problems AI helps
  • Keep the network and its systems running AI helps
  • Plan and apply network security measures AI helps
  • Talk users through network problems AI helps
  • Turn user needs into network requirements AI helps
  • Design, configure, and test network systems AI helps

AI can do or help with

  • Diagnose and fix network problems AI helps
  • Keep the network and its systems running AI helps
  • Talk users through network problems AI helps
  • Plan and apply network security measures AI helps
  • Turn user needs into network requirements AI helps
  • Monitor systems and manage network access AI can do it

The biggest responsibilities on each side, ranked by a person's time on the left. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces, so one can show on both sides. See all 18, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace network administrators?

Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 68% of the working time in a typical network administrator job today. The other 32% 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: diagnose and fix network problems, keep the network and its systems running, talk users through network problems, plan and apply network security measures, turn user needs into network requirements, monitor systems and manage network access.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: diagnose and fix network problems, keep the network and its systems running, plan and apply network security measures, talk users through network problems, turn user needs into network requirements, design, configure, and test network systems.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 20 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0), and the split covers the 18 people in it do today. Each 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. The evidence range for the share AI could take on is 41 to 68%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry. Scores version 0.8.8, updated November 13, 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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