AI Is Raising the Expectations for Entry-Level Engineers

Infoblox CTO Padmini Kao on AI's Push for Higher Entry-Level Engineering Skills Michael Novinson (MichaelNovinson) • December 17, 2025

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how enterprises structure engineering roles. This shift is raising the expectations for entry-level engineers. "Thinking about AI as teammates, the level that we expect out of entry-level engineers is going to be increasing," said Padmini Kao, CTO and executive vice president of engineering at Infoblox.

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Engineering teams now need clearer structures, stronger collaboration models and faster skill development paths to keep pace with AI-augmented workflows. "What we expect of entry-level roles would be what a mid-level engineer would be doing today," Kao said.

She said expectations will change at every level, not just for entry-level roles, as AI takes over some of the work that mid-level and senior engineers currently perform.

In this video interview with ...