The Noise Around AI Replacing Programmers
There’s a lot of noise claiming that AI will completely replace programmers and make this skill worthless. Sounds crazy, right?
Before panicking, let’s take a step back and look at history.
Lessons from Calculators and Mathematicians
Remember when calculators came into mathematics? They were faster and more accurate at calculations than humans.
Did that mean mathematicians disappeared? No!
Calculators didn’t exist to replace mathematicians—they existed to make calculations easier. This freed humans to focus on logic, reasoning, and problem-solving, while the calculators handled the repetitive work.
AI in Programming ... the same principle
AI in programming works similarly.
It can write boilerplate code.
It might even generate an entire codebase.
But managing the project, making decisions, and understanding the logic behind the code remains the programmer’s job. AI is a tool, not a replacement.
Why we still need to Understand the Fundamentals?
Does this mean we should stop learning how to code? Not at all.
It’s similar to arithmetic: if a calculator can do the basic operations but you don’t understand them, you’re blindly trusting a tool. You need knowledge first, then leverage the tool.
AI works the same way. Without understanding programming fundamentals, you’ll just blindly accept what it produces.
My Personal Experience Using AI
even used AI to generate boilerplate code while building my first terminal-based library in C.
It sped up the process significantly. All I had to do was understand the infrastructure and then let AI handle the repetitive parts—just like a calculator helping with arithmetic.
This allowed me to focus on the thinking and structure behind the code, rather than typing everything from scratch.
i am not good in articulating my thoughts...even i used AI to help me write this blog in a formal way...(im working on it!!...)
Takeaway
My take? Use AI as a tool to bring your vision to life faster, not to replace your thinking.
Learn, understand, and then let AI help accelerate the parts that don’t require your judgment. That’s where real programming value lies—and what AI still can’t touch.
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