Siemens executive warns AI could erase the junior work needed to build skills

The routine work AI can take off a junior employee’s desk is also work that teaches them how to spot mistakes. Siemens chief people and sustainability officer Judith Wiese warned against eliminating entry-level jobs in comments reported by dpa on October 20, saying the company would keep recruiting and investing in young talent.

Writing code and judging code

Wiese pointed to software development as an example. AI and AI agents can increasingly write both simple and more complex code, she said. The employee’s key task then becomes critically examining what the system produces, rather than necessarily writing all of it.

But that shift does not remove the need to learn programming. As DW reported her argument, developers need to be able to write code themselves to assess AI-generated code critically. Wiese said companies must give young employees opportunities to perform tasks firsthand, so they develop the capabilities they will need later in their careers.

The crucial question is always: What do I need to have done, checked and seen myself to avoid being misled by AI?

Judith Wiese, Siemens chief people and sustainability officer, quoted by dpa

AI can teach, too

Her warning was not an argument that learning must happen entirely without AI. Wiese also said the technology could help employees acquire skills more quickly. She described learning moving in the other direction as well: experienced employees could eventually learn from younger colleagues who had grown up using AI.

That gives AI two roles in her account. It can help people develop skills, but handing tasks over to it can also deprive them of practical experience. Siemens’ stated response is to continue recruiting and investing in young talent while preserving opportunities for employees to do work themselves.

Fewer people—or more work

Wiese said it remained too early to assess AI’s impact on employment, citing Siemens’ roughly 30,000 software engineers. She described two possible uses for additional productivity: doing the same work with fewer people, or doing more with the same number of employees.

She also described benefits beyond completing existing tasks faster. AI was helping Siemens explore new ideas and launch projects that would otherwise not have been possible, she said. Those comments leave room for expanded activity rather than only staff reductions; they do not settle which employment outcome will follow.