Somewhat Resilient
Last Update: 7/31/2026
AI Resilience Score for Network and Computer Admin:
48.3%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Low
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Med
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
High
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
This result is backed by strong agreement across multiple data sources.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forNetwork and Computer Systems Administrators
$99,130 median salary•14,300 annual openings•SOC Code: 15-1244.00
Network and Computer Systems Administrators are somewhat less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 8 sources.
Network and computer systems administration earns a "Somewhat Resilient" label because AI is genuinely changing the day-to-day work, not just hovering on the horizon. Routine tasks like monitoring alerts, triaging tickets, and applying standard fixes are already being handled by automated tools, which means those specific workflows are shrinking for human workers.
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Network and computer systems administration earns a "Somewhat Resilient" label because AI is genuinely changing the day-to-day work, not just hovering on the horizon. Routine tasks like monitoring alerts, triaging tickets, and applying standard fixes are already being handled by automated tools, which means those specific workflows are shrinking for human workers.
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View analysisChat with CoachLatest newsMore career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Network and Computer Admin
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Network and Computer Admin jobs?
Right now, AI in network and systems administration is mostly augmenting people rather than replacing them — but the line is starting to shift. Industry analysts call the new wave "agentic NetOps," in which autonomous software agents monitor telemetry, prioritize incidents, run root-cause analysis, and apply preapproved fixes, escalating to humans only when something unusual happens, as described in NTT DATA's April 2026 explainer on agentic network operations [1]. Early deployments are already showing big productivity gains: Yale's School of Management reports [2] that some telecom operators using agents for automated provisioning have seen "more than 60% reduction in manual network operations." Inside data centers, Uptime Institute's 2026 predictions covered by Network World [3] say AI is moving from pilots into daily use for cooling, power optimization, and "industrial copilots" that help operators — but the industry is "moving toward supervised, practical automation… designed to support operators rather than actually replace them." Security work is similar: the SANS Institute notes [4] that 40% of security operations centers use AI/ML tools without making them a defined part of operations, and 42% rely on tools "out of the box," meaning human admins still do the tuning, validating, and judgment calls.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Network and Computer Admin?
Adoption is accelerating but uneven. On the fast side, commercial AIOps platforms are everywhere, big vendors are shipping agentic tools, and there are huge economic incentives — agents promise to ease the skills gap, cut incident response time, and handle the floods of data that modern hybrid networks generate, according to NTT DATA [1]. On the slow side, the same source cites Gartner data that fewer than 1% of organizations have actually deployed agentic NetOps, "primarily due to limited vendor capabilities and organizational readiness." Trust, security, and governance worries make IT leaders cautious about letting agents change live production networks.
Labor-market signals are mixed but mostly hopeful for young people: CompTIA's State of the Tech Workforce 2026 [5] projects U.S. tech employment growing 1.9% in 2026 to about 9.8 million workers, with more than 275,000 job postings in January 2026 referencing AI skills. The honest takeaway: routine monitoring, ticket triage, and "load the tapes" style tasks will keep shrinking, but humans who can design guardrails, validate AI output, secure networks, and translate business goals into technical policy remain very much in demand.
Sources
Will AI replace Network and Computer Admin?
Not entirely. We think AI will take over some tasks, but not the whole job.
Our 48.3% AI Resilience Score reflects a role that is genuinely under pressure. AI is already handling a lot of the repetitive work: monitoring telemetry, triaging incidents, and applying routine fixes with minimal human input. Some telecom operators using these automated tools have seen more than a 60% reduction in manual network operations [2]. That is a real shift, and it is accelerating.
But the full job is not going anywhere soon. Fewer than 1% of organizations have actually deployed fully agentic network operations, largely because trust, security, and governance concerns make IT leaders cautious about letting software change live production systems [1]. Human admins still do the tuning, validating, and judgment calls that keep AI tools honest [4]. Designing guardrails, translating business goals into technical policy, and responding to genuinely novel problems are not tasks you can hand off to an agent yet.
The economic picture also offers real reason for optimism. Adaptive capacity for this role scores high, and the U.S. tech workforce is projected to grow to about 9.8 million workers in 2026 [5]. The job is changing, not disappearing, and people who grow with it will find solid ground.
Sources
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Latest AI news for Network and Computer Admin
These articles highlight the growing role of AI in enhancing the efficiency and resilience of IT operations, crucial for Network and Computer Systems Administrators. For instance, IBM's Z Database Assistant emphasizes the need for operational efficiency in managing vast data environments, while Microsoft's approach showcases AI's potential in improving reliability across IT systems. Additionally, understanding how AI is reshaping job roles, as discussed in the article from MTU, can help students prepare for a future where adaptability and AI proficiency become essential skills in this field.
How AI Affects Careers in Computing
www.mtu.edu • 5/19/2026
Discover how AI is reshaping computing careers, which jobs are growing, and how to prepare for the AI-driven future. Explore professional insights, salary...
IBM Z Database Assistant brings intelligent operations for the AI era
www.ibm.com • 5/5/2026
As enterprises scale AI, database operational efficiency is becoming paramount to unlocking the full value of trusted Z data.
AI at scale: How we’re transforming our enterprise IT operations at Microsoft
www.microsoft.com • 1/29/2026
Learn how we're using AI tools and technologies to improve our reliability, resiliency, and efficiency across our entire IT operation at...
Designing a neuro-symbolic dual-model architecture for explainable and resilient intrusion detection in IoT networks
www.nature.com • 11/28/2025
The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly evolving into a vast ecosystem of interconnected devices that serve diverse domains, including smart...
Systems Administrators and AI Tools: What You Need to Know
www.dice.com • 1/24/2025
The systems administrator (sysadmin) role has evolved significantly over the years, shifting from managing racks of on-premise servers to...
More Career Info
Career: Network and Computer Systems Administrators
They set up and manage computer networks to keep them running smoothly, making sure people can connect and access the internet and other resources.
Parent Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$99,130
Jobs (2024)
331,500
Growth (2024-34)
-4.2%
Annual Openings
14,300
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Train people in computer system use.
2
Maintain an inventory of parts for emergency repairs.
3
Maintain and administer computer networks and related computing environments including computer hardware, systems software, applications software, and all configurations.
4
Perform routine network startup and shutdown procedures, and maintain control records.
5
Plan, coordinate, and implement network security measures to protect data, software, and hardware.
6
Implement and provide technical support for voice services and equipment, such as private branch exchange, voice mail system, and telecom system.
7
Gather data pertaining to customer needs, and use the information to identify, predict, interpret, and evaluate system and network requirements.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
