Admittedly, this is a provocative question. But in the now rapidly changing world of data technologies, you can’t sit back for years and hope that everything will stay the same. What’s more, the development of artificial intelligence is not increasing linearly, but exponentially.
There are also concerns for the data engineering profession that its activities could be replaced by AI. The paradox of this question is that data scientists and data analysts cannot work in machine learning and deep learning without data engineers preparing the data. The development of AI requires a data engineer. In the following simulated conversation between AI student Emma and Dr. Neuro, the aspects of this question are discussed in more detail.
Disclaimer: The following talk never took place and the people taking part and their names are fictitious. It was created to make it easier to immerse yourself in the topic.
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Emma:
Will data engineers be replaced by AI?
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Dr. Tom Neuron:
Thank you for your interesting question. The question of the extent to which the work of a data engineer is influenced by AI is indeed being addressed. But perhaps not in the way your question suggests.
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Emma:
What do you mean when you say that the work of a data engineer is influenced by AI?
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Dr. Tom Neuron:
Well, the question somehow gives rise to the suggestion that data engineers will be completely replaced by AI in the future.
But what I am more likely to assume is that AI will support the work of a data engineer. -
Emma:
Do you recommend asking the question differently?
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Dr. Tom Neuron:
Yes, I think it makes more sense to ask the question differently. Because we can only guess what will be possible with generative AI in the distant future. I recommend asking the question: To what extent will AI be able to support their work? I think it’s a misleading question to say that data engineers will be replaced by AI.
Shouldn’t Data engineers be concerned about AI?
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Emma:
So data engineers shouldn’t worry at all about being replaced by AI?
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Dr. Tom Neuron:
If data engineers can only perform basic tasks such as ETL processes, correcting simple code errors, etc., perhaps they should be a little concerned.[1]
How to avoid being replaced by AI?
| Data Engineer skill | Better than AI | Could be Replaced by AI | Needed steps to avoid being replaced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic coding | no | yes | Continuously improve your coding skills |
| More complex coding | yes | not yet, but maybe in the future | |
| Deep business knowledge | yes | not now, but perhaps in the future | Have in-depth business knowledge |
Will specialising in certain domains help?
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Emma:
Does it make sense to specialize even more in one area as a Data Engineer?
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Dr. Tom Neutron:
In the future, data engineers will probably not just choose one direction to specialize in, but will rather be pushed into one of the following three: going deeper into certain business areas, into automation or into the underlying data platform.[2]
References
[1] Moses, B. (2024, February 7). Will GenAI Replace Data Engineers? No — And Here’s Why. https://www.montecarlodata.com/blog-will-genai-replace-data-engineers
[2] Handy, T. (2025, March 16). How AI will disrupt data engineering as we know it | dbt Labs. https://www.getdbt.com/blog/how-ai-will-disrupt-data-engineering