How do we define “seniority” and career/skill progress in the age of AI?

We keep hearing: “Juniors won’t stand a chance.”

But companies are still opening internships, which suggests something deeper than just skill-building still matters (like understanding systems, workflows, and how companies actually operate – the management part).

At the same time, AI is changing how we learn:

• Instead of building skills from scratch, we often "copy-paste" them.

• Instead of trial-and-error, we get near-instant solutions.

For example, I am learning to code based on my own project. But when Claude constantly gives me solutions, my level of understanding may be lower compared to someone who "figures out" these things by googling, trial and error. With Claude, I do not even feel like a junior yet.

At the same time, experienced developers using AI are becoming:

• faster

• more precise

• more productive

How will we now be able to determine seniority and level of progress when each of us owns an AI assistant?

(By years of service? By successfully applying code from the AI? Real-world outcomes?)

I see this topic as important, especially because salary has always depended on seniority. 

It would be good to know how the perception of progress and the remuneration associated with it is changing.