Google chief scientist says AI could rival junior coders by 2026
AI might be getting close to doing the job of a junior software engineer, according to Jeff Dean, Google's chief scientist. During Sequoia Capital's AI Ascent event, Dean said it may only be 'about a year-ish' before artificial intelligence reaches the skill level of an entry-level coder. While that may sound futuristic, it's a view that aligns with what many tech leaders have been saying as AI continues to improve rapidly, especially in tasks like coding. At a time when jobs in the field of tech are already scarce and competition is fierce, especially for fresh graduates, this could mean even more pressure on entry-level engineers.advertisementDean's comments come as generative AI tools like ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Google's own Gemini become increasingly common among developers. These tools are already being used to automate repetitive coding tasks, offer real-time suggestions, and even generate full blocks of code. But Dean also noted that writing code in an IDE (integrated development environment) is only one part of what junior engineers do.'This hypothetical virtual engineer probably needs a better sense of many more things than just writing code in an IDE,' Dean said in the Business Insider report. 'It needs to know how to run tests, debug performance issues, and all those kinds of things.'
When asked how AI might eventually learn these broader engineering skills, Dean compared it to how real people gain experience — by learning tools, studying documentation, and learning from more experienced colleagues. 'We know how human engineers do those things,' he explained. 'They learn how to use various tools that we have, and can make use of them to accomplish that. And they get that wisdom from more experienced engineers, typically, or reading lots of documentation.'advertisementDean believes AI could do something similar — trying out solutions in virtual environments, learning from documentation, and improving over time. 'I feel like a junior virtual engineer is going to be pretty good at reading documentation and sort of trying things out in virtual environments,' he said. 'That seems like a way to get better and better at some of these things.'While he didn't say how far this could eventually go, Dean thinks it's going to make a meaningful difference. 'I don't know how far it will take us, but it seems like it'll take us pretty far,' he said.Google has not responded to Business Insider's request for comment at the time of publication.
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