The Vanishing Apprentice

AI is transforming the role of the junior developer. But as routine tasks become increasingly automated, how will the next generation of software engineers master the craft of maintaining complex systems?

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Publication Details

Journal
Communications of the ACM
Published
2026-08-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1145/3830023
Primary Topic
Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The Vanishing Apprentice

Alex Wright
Communications of the ACM
Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
article

The Vanishing Apprentice

Alex Wright
article en

Abstract

AI is transforming the role of the junior developer. But as routine tasks become increasingly automated, how will the next generation of software engineers master the craft of maintaining complex systems?

Communications of the ACM
Brooklyn Law School (US), Center for Brooklyn History (US), Brooklyn College (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
DOISourceOpenAlex
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