Artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, often called the “Godfather of AI”, has advised students and young engineers not to give up pursuing computer science degrees despite rapid advancements in AI that are transforming the software industry. Speaking to Business Insider, Hinton emphasised that computer science remains far broader than programming alone and will continue to be relevant for decades.
Computer science is more than coding, says Hinton
Hinton responded to growing concerns that AI tools capable of writing software might render traditional programming roles obsolete. He noted that while mid-level programming may increasingly be automated, the discipline teaches far deeper conceptual skills.
“Many people think a CS degree is just programming or something,” he said. “Obviously, just being a competent mid-level programmer is not going to be a career for much longer, because AI can do that.”
However, he stressed that computer science provides foundational abilities in systems thinking, mathematics and structured problem-solving — skills he believes will remain indispensable. “A CS degree will be valuable for quite a long time,” he added.
Why students should still learn to code
Hinton also encouraged middle- and high-school students to learn programming, comparing it to learning Latin. “You’re never going to speak Latin, but it’s still useful learning Latin,” he remarked. Coding, he said, is a valuable intellectual exercise even if AI tools eventually automate a large portion of software development.
For aspiring AI researchers and engineers, Hinton highlighted the importance of strong fundamentals: “Some skills that are always going to be valuable, like knowing some math, statistics, probability theory, and linear algebra. That’s not knowledge that’s going to disappear.”
Hinton on Google vs OpenAI
In the same interview, Hinton also weighed in on the competition between tech giants OpenAI and Google. He said he believes Google is now beginning to overtake OpenAI in the AI race, following the widely praised launch of Google’s Gemini 3 model. “It’s more surprising that it’s taken this long for Google to overtake OpenAI,” he said. “Right now they’re beginning to overtake it.”
The comments have sparked renewed debate in the AI community about leadership in cutting-edge model development.