[MKais]

Is it still useful to teach kids how to code? I'm genuinely asking. I am the father of two 12-year-olds and I'm teaching them how to code, but I wonder if it will really be useful in the long run, in a world where there is ChatGPT, AI code assistants, and, most importantly, everything else that will emerge in the coming decade (i.e. english to code and whatnot)

[lordnacho]

Coding is the 21st century version of what literacy was in the 19th century.

Not everyone back then knew how to read and write, but enough people did to substantially change society. If you could read and write there was work that only you could do in the new economy. At the same time, being literate did not mean you were the new Shakespeare, you were probably using it for something mundane like sending letters on behalf of a business.

Likewise with coding. There will be loads of jobs that only a code literate person can do. It's also quite possible that you don't write any large or important piece of software, your whole life's work might be a bunch of python scripts that glue together other people's contributions.

Knowing how to code is also similar to literacy in another sense. The literate will be the first people to access new ideas. Want to read Das Kapital? Gotta know how to read. Want to know how an AI assistant works? Gotta know how to code.

[mirekrusin]

Is it useful to teach kids adding numbers? Computers can do it millions of times faster/larger numbers for decades.

[lhorie]

That's a strange way to frame it. Every skill is useful in some context. As a parent, I think a more productive way to think about it is to ask whether teaching kids anything is in line with your values. For me, I'd prefer if my kids were well rounded from being exposed to many different things, so they can make informed decisions later in life. That means they have lego mindstorms, but if they say they like tennis or they spend time drawing sidescroller games and not twirling to nutcracker ballet videos, then so be it. For some parents, laser focusing on something might be considered preferable.

[nonethewiser]

Well all of those things already exist. What kind of things are your 12 year ilds able to do with them? Could they work as a software engineer now?