AI Godfather Geoffrey Hinton Warns Students: Don’t Ditch Computer Science Degrees Even as AI Advances

As artificial intelligence grows at a very high pace, a question that arises among many players in the technology sector is whether the standard of coding and computer science degrees are even becoming a thing of the past. AI models can increasingly write and execute code, which creates the possibility of the replacement of programmers in the near future. Nevertheless, Geoffrey Hinton, who is commonly regarded as one of the godfathers of AI, says that a degree in computer science is still important and that people might be too early to forget about learning how to write code.

Coding Is More Than Just Programming

Hinton explains that many people mistakenly equate a computer science degree solely with programming skills. “Obviously, just being a competent mid-level programmer is not going to be a career for much longer, because AI can do that,” he told Business Insider.

Nevertheless, he points out that a CS degree is much more than just a four-year course in coding, but instills a background in problem-solving, mathematics, statistics, probability and linear algebra all of which are vital in a tech-driven world.

Learning Coding Is Like Learning Latin

Hinton makes a very interesting parallel between the study of humanities and the study of Latin in terms of coding and learning a new language. Though it is impossible to speak Latin every day, the study of Latin gives useful analytical skills. Likewise, coding teaches computational thinking, logical organization and problem-solving skills that would not be wasted even with AI doing the real coding.

Perspectives from Other AI and Tech Leaders

Other technology pioneers also hold the same views. The chairman of OpenAI, Bret Taylor, observes that computer science is much more than just code writing and teaches the fundamental information about technology that one can learn at a lower level. Another point that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella makes is the necessity to study the basics of software and learn how to think computationally. Conversely, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argues that students could turn to other fields, as AI is going to enable programming to be accessible to all without the necessity of any standard coding skills.

Computer Science is Still Need of the Hour

Although AI keeps changing software development, professionals as Geoffrey Hinton remind students and professionals that a computer science degree is not that useless. Learning to code, is not just about writing code, it teaches critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical thinking, which will remain applicable in an AI-driven future. To any person thinking about his/her future studies, coding and computer science is not merely an easy way to acquire technical competence in the short term, but a preparation to adapt to the dynamic world of technology.