AI and the Future of Programming

Arturo Nereu

ArturoNereu

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“There is the final, and overwhelming, reason for telling you these things. I have observed again and again that most experts are left behind as their field progresses and new paradigms come in… Most of them gradually dropped out of the field and disappeared! They could not keep up.”
— Richard Hamming

Since I learned how to program, I felt like I had a special superpower: talking to computers. Many people could interact with them by playing games, using the internet, or using software. But this was different. I could not only talk to the computer — I could tell it what to do.

I went from games, to databases, to AI. And now, I think that knowing how to program is no longer a superpower — it’s just another ability every human should have. A basic skill. Being able to command computers to solve problems. Just like basic math or writing became essential for society, programming is heading in that direction.

Of course, there’s some resistance. Some engineers argue that AI-supported programming isn’t real programming. That it’ll lead to people skipping the fundamentals and maybe even losing jobs.

I think it’s the opposite.

We need more people who are smart, who know how to solve problems, and who can tell computers to do the boring parts for them — people outside of computer science with particular knowledge that a programmer won’t have.

What is programming, really? And why do we care so much about defining who is or isn’t a “real” programmer? If we can use computers to solve humanity’s (and other beings’) problems — and do it faster and safely — does it really matter how?

Things evolve. Programming has evolved. Just like Hamming described. I’m more worried about programmers who don’t adapt than I am about new ones who won’t learn C, but will master how to talk to computers using natural language.