I don't like the jr dev analogy. It neither has the same weaknesses nor the same strenghts.

It's more like the genious coworker that has an overassertive ego and sometimes shows up drunk, but if you know how to work with them and see past their flaws, can be a real asset.

I also like your analogy, but it also explains why I find working with AI-assisted coding so mentally tiresome.

It's like with some auto-driving systems - I say it like having a slightly inebriated teenager at the wheel. I can't just relax and read a book, because then I'd die. But so I have to be more mentally alert than just driving myself because everything could be going smoothly and relaxed, but at any moment the driving system could decide to drive into a tree.

I don't really agree; a junior developer, if they're curious enough, wouldn't just write insecure code, they would do self-study and find out best practices etc before writing code, including not storing plaintext passwords and the like.

You have clearly only ever worked with the creme de la creme of junior developers.