# Stop Calling AI a "Junior Engineer"

DevFeed: [Stop Calling AI a "Junior Engineer"](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/stop-calling-ai-a-junior-engineer-27349.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.mmckenna.me/stop-calling-ai-a-junior-engineer>)

Author: Matt McKenna

Published: 2025-07-29T17:59:05Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Matt McKenna](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/matt-mckenna.md>)

Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>), [Large Language Model](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/llm.md>), [Language models](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/language-models.md>)

Tags: [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering.md>), [feelings](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/feelings.md>), [junior](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/junior.md>), [llm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/llm.md>), [llms](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/llms.md>), [mentorship](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mentorship.md>), [software-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-development.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion argues that describing AI as a "junior engineer" is an unfair and misleading analogy. It contrasts human junior engineers' ability to learn, develop judgment, understand context, and grow through mentorship with the limitations the author attributes to language models.

## Source excerpt

There's a common shorthand in tech circles: "Treat your AI like a junior engineer." It's meant to set expectations that you need to give it clear tasks, review its work, don't let it push to prod, etc, etc. But the analogy doesn't sit right with me. ...