Learn to code in the age of AI

In the current era marked by artificial intelligence (AI), we have programming assistants, including the very famous Codepilot. These tools help developers generate, understand, and optimize code, providing a significant productivity benefit. However, this efficiency could wrongly lead to the idea that the advancement of AI makes learning programming obsolete.

In fact, quite the contrary, the developer's expertise, and creativity will always be essential to the coding task even if he relies on generative AI to augment his coding process, and give the AI the repetitive and boring tasks, or even perform debugging.

It is therefore essential to provide a balanced perspective recognizing the capabilities of AI while emphasizing the enduring value of coding skills. Below are some key points to consider:

1. Understand Automation: Although AI can automate various tasks, it is crucial to understand the logic behind automation. Coding teaches logical thinking, problem-solving, and how to break complex problems into manageable parts. These skills are valuable beyond the realm of programming. In generative AI, this computational thinking makes it possible to better shape a prompt to obtain an adequate and relevant response to a question asked, this is called prompt engineering.

2. Creative control and innovation: Coding allows individuals to create, innovate, and bring new ideas to life. Although AI can facilitate this process, creative vision and innovation come from the human mind. Coding allows children to be not only consumers of technology but also creators.

3. Fundamental skills for the future: Many future careers will require a basic understanding of programming and technology. Even as AI technologies become more sophisticated, the ability to interact with, direct, or even challenge AI decisions will be valuable.

4. Critical thinking and resilience: Learning to code teaches children to think critically and persevere in facing challenges. Debugging code teaches patience, attention to detail, and resilience, which are beneficial in any career.

5. Ethical and responsible use of AI: As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, understanding the principles of coding and technology becomes essential for ethical considerations. Coding education can include discussions about responsible technology use, privacy, and the societal impacts of AI, preparing children to thoughtfully address these challenges.

6. Complementarity between AI and coding skills: Instead of viewing AI as a replacement for coding skills, it is fairer to view them as complementary. Knowledge of coding can improve a person's ability to leverage AI tools more effectively, customize solutions, and understand their limitations.

7. Adaptability and Lifelong Learning: The technology landscape is constantly changing. Learning to code instills a mindset of adaptability and continuous learning, which is invaluable in a world where new technologies and tools emerge regularly.

In summary, even as AI transforms the way we interact with technology, the fundamental skills learned through coding remain critically important. They not only prepare children for future careers, but also teach them to think creatively and critically, ensuring that they are not just passive consumers of technology, but active and informed participants in our digital world.