- GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke goes in for coding education in schools
- Artificial intelligence just reinforces human work and doesn’t replace it
- Using AI is just another pillar of continuing to learn
Microsoft-owned Github, which has introduced a number of powerful generative AI tools to its popular developer platform in recent years, still believes there is a place for traditional code.
Talking on a recent podcast interview with EO (via Business Insider), CEO Thomas Dohmke explained his belief that schools should teach coding, just as they do other core topics, such as physics, geography and math.
Dohmke, who advocates an early start, believes that children should learn coding from a young age and express their belief that skilled developers are still in high demand despite the emergence of artificial intelligence.
GitHub goes in for coding of education in spite of AI
AI tools such as Github’s own copilot and other popular chatbots, such as Chatgpt and Gemini, have democratized coding by making software development more accessible to everyone and ultimately lowering the access barrier.
For experienced developers, small teams and even solo programmers can now unlock on a more scale, with AI release of time that was otherwise spent on repeated tasks that can now be automated.
With the emergence of technique, questions have been raised about the future of jobs in coding, with slimmer teams that potentially reduce job openings, but Dohmke does not seem to be concerned about this and still calls people to learn to code.
“The anxiety is understandable, but time and time again, developers have discovered how they can channel the new capabilities to the entire domains of innovation that did not exist before,” he said, indicating that use cases are expanding and the need for skilled programmers is not taming.
“You have to continue training. You have to continue to learn. You’ve never finished learning,” he added. When he reflected on his three decades in the industry, Dohmke says that if he had stopped reading blogs and other literature, he would have been left behind. With this in mind, AI is very just a development of the role rather than the end of it.
