The 'AI replaces junior engineers' argument ignores basic economics. Junior employees aren't just cheap labor. They're salary insurance, pipeline protection, and the only hedge companies have against a senior workforce that increasingly doesn't need the job.
In Canada anyway, a software engineer is someone who actually did an engineering specific bachelor program. All engineering degrees must have gone through the same common classes for math, physics, chemistry, etc. Plus the major specific classes. It really focuses on the engineering aspect, like in construction or mechanical engineering.
And you can’t call yourself or call a job/role “engineer” unless you are a part of an order of engineers of your respected province. It’s highly regulated.
In the US, anyone can call themselves engineers.
Sadly that used to be the case but more recent court cases have changed that in Alberta specifically.
https://www.apega.ca/news/regulating-software-engineers
Is always fucking Alberta.