Jobs · Network engineer
Will AI replace network engineers?
Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 63% of the working time in a typical network engineer job today. The other 37% still needs a person.
32 responsibilities · a typical network engineer job
37% of the work still needs a person.
Evidence range: 48 to 63%. It runs between what has been measured or rated for each responsibility and our figure, which also follows industry-wide research.
Median pay $134,050 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).
Still needs a person
- Keep up with new technology
AI can do or help with
- Keep network files backed up and current AI helps
- Solve problems on the network AI helps
- Recommend network security measures AI helps
- Monitor network performance and plan capacity AI can do it
- Help users with accounts and problems AI helps
- Coordinate network upgrades and repairs AI helps
The biggest responsibilities of each kind. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces. See all 32, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.
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Questions people ask
Will AI replace network engineers?
Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 63% of the working time in a typical network engineer 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: keep network files backed up and current, solve problems on the network, recommend network security measures, monitor network performance and plan capacity, help users with accounts and problems, coordinate network upgrades and repairs.
Which parts still need a person?
The biggest ones: keep up with new technology.
How is this measured?
The U.S. Department of Labor lists 33 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0), and the split covers the 32 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 is 48 to 63%. It runs between what has been measured or rated for each responsibility and our figure, which also follows industry-wide research. Scores version 0.6.2, updated October 2, 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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