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Will AI Replace Data Scientists and Machine Learning Engineers?
Imagine a company developing a cutting-edge AI system to automate data science tasks. This AI can clean datasets, build models, and generate reports — without human intervention. One day, the CEO jokingly asks, “If AI can automate so much, do we still need data scientists?”
It’s a question many companies are asking today. With the rise of AutoML, generative AI, and AI-assisted coding tools, some believe AI might replace data scientists and machine learning (ML) engineers. But is this reality, or just another exaggerated AI fear?
In this article, we’ll break down what AI can and cannot do in data science and ML engineering, explore real-world use cases, and discuss whether AI is a threat or a tool for professionals in the field.
1. What Does a Data Scientist & ML Engineer Do?
Before we talk about automation, let’s first understand what these jobs involve.
🔹 Data Scientist Role:
A data scientist is responsible for:
✅ Data Cleaning & Processing — Handling missing values, transforming data.
✅ Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) — Finding trends, patterns, and correlations.
✅ Feature Engineering —…
