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Has the advancements in AI made getting a computer science degree useless What is the point of studying at university for four years if when I get my degree(in computer science), AI has evolved and improved so much that, in those same four years that it can do way more than what I've been studying for and can outwork me tenfolds??
AI has been improving constantly so if I risk getting a degree in computers or programming, etc, those 4 years I spend in college, AI will improve past the need for computer science degree,s
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Updated
Frank’s Answer
Hi Wilkens,
Great question. AI does not think. It just predicts and imitates. It doesn’t understand, reason or innovates.
CS teaches Algorithms, data structures, operating systems, networking, software engineering, ethics—it’s not just about coding. It’s the bedrock AI is built on.
So if you’re thinking, “Why bother?” the answer is, “Because someone still needs to know what’s under the hood while the rest are riding in the car.”
I hope this helps in your decision making.
Great question. AI does not think. It just predicts and imitates. It doesn’t understand, reason or innovates.
CS teaches Algorithms, data structures, operating systems, networking, software engineering, ethics—it’s not just about coding. It’s the bedrock AI is built on.
So if you’re thinking, “Why bother?” the answer is, “Because someone still needs to know what’s under the hood while the rest are riding in the car.”
I hope this helps in your decision making.
Updated
Billy’s Answer
Hi Wilkens, First, let me applaud you for a thought-provoking question. There are two schools of thought that I see with AI. Once says that it will "augment" humans, allowing us to be much more productive. The other school says that it will "replace" humans, thereby there will be no need for humans in many fields. I come down somewhere in the middle. While some mundane and repetitive tasks may lend themselves very well to being replaced by AI much of the creative work like problem solving, design etc. will still need shaping by human imagination and ingenuity. However, with excellent AI tools available we will be able to do more with less for sure. This means there will be greater emphasis on differentiating one's skill set so that you can be the one to use all these excellent tools to create amazing solutions.
Regardless of what they say about AGI, I feel humans would always have the need to supervise AI so that it does not go rogue and out of control. This means there will always be a need for AI oversight. monitoring and corrective actions. Will human beings not want to have some control over AI? Think about that.
Also, AI models work well only when there is clean data used to train the model. Otherwise, we see hallucinations and erroneous outcomes. Domains where clean data is scarce, we will continue to need a human touch.
I hope these thoughts help you in your quest to become a successful Computer Scientist. Good luck in the path ahead!
Regardless of what they say about AGI, I feel humans would always have the need to supervise AI so that it does not go rogue and out of control. This means there will always be a need for AI oversight. monitoring and corrective actions. Will human beings not want to have some control over AI? Think about that.
Also, AI models work well only when there is clean data used to train the model. Otherwise, we see hallucinations and erroneous outcomes. Domains where clean data is scarce, we will continue to need a human touch.
I hope these thoughts help you in your quest to become a successful Computer Scientist. Good luck in the path ahead!
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Ronald’s Answer
Hi Wilkens,
It's great that you're thinking about this. AI opens up exciting new possibilities to do things more efficiently and boost our productivity. At its heart, AI uses all the tools and skills from computer science, like algorithms, statistics, and data engineering.
Just like how a car helps us travel faster than walking, AI lets us explore and tackle tasks in fresh ways. Your four years in computer science were definitely not a waste. Now, it's all about combining what you've learned with the new opportunities AI offers. Keep moving forward, and you'll do amazing things!
It's great that you're thinking about this. AI opens up exciting new possibilities to do things more efficiently and boost our productivity. At its heart, AI uses all the tools and skills from computer science, like algorithms, statistics, and data engineering.
Just like how a car helps us travel faster than walking, AI lets us explore and tackle tasks in fresh ways. Your four years in computer science were definitely not a waste. Now, it's all about combining what you've learned with the new opportunities AI offers. Keep moving forward, and you'll do amazing things!
Updated
Jayshree’s Answer
AI has its edge. It is good in some fields but not all. There are real life issues which require lot more thoughts and analysis from the practical perspective than just telling what is good. For example design and analysis where a software engineer can find lot more optimal way to design and resolve issues versus use of AI suggested solutions. I still look at my map to find my destination before I start my trips even though I know I have many map applications I can rely on. It has paid off many times. For making AI beneficial, we still need engineers.
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Yueping’s Answer
Great question! AI certainly impose unprecedented challenges as well as opportunities. Granted, conventional coding will be and are gradually being transitioned to more AI/Machine assisted paradigms. However, there are new territories emerging. For instance, how to harness AI, how to mitigate and eliminate hallucination, how to apply AI to new applications, etc. All of these require fundamental computer science training and skills. The (both technical and everyday) world is rapidly evolving, what we can do is to ride the wave and get ready for any challenges.
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Tim’s Answer
Every generation of computer scientists / programmers asks this. As the tools advance we worry we won't be needed. I began my professional career as a programmer. My son is now through college (CS major) and working as a programmer. Programming has changed a lot over those 30 years, but it's still being done by humans! My observation is that the tools he has make him more efficient by allowing him to focus on the creative aspects and spend less time on syntax and debugging. Which is good! As the tools and automation improve, though, the environment in which your software has to function is getting vastly more complex. Programs used to be standalone, now they're much more likely to be networked and to incorporate APIs and libraries etc., that you didn't write and don't fully understand. You'll find there's a need for clarity (communication skills!) in order to navigate this web of dependencies.
Aliyan Shaikh
Aspiring Cloud Solutions Architect | Technical Writer
8
Answers
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Aliyan’s Answer
Hey Wilkens!
That's a very relevant and timely question. Well, Wilkens, think of the calculator. When it was invented, did accountants disappear? No, but their roles evolved, and they were able to focus on more complex financial analysis.
And AI can never think on its own. It has no consciousness like you and I do. It’s simply trained on large datasets, that’s it. It does not learn by itself. We (humans) are superior and will continue to be.
Now, CS offers much more than just programming or coding when it comes to careers. For example, if you pursue a career as a web developer, AI might replace some aspects of your job, but that’s still years away from fully replacing you. On the other hand, careers within CS like software architecture, security analysis, understanding customer needs, or developing new ways to solve computing problems require critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and strategic vision. And no machine or algorithm can achieve that.
Think of AI as a tool you can learn to use, just like any other skill, and trust me, you can do wonderful things with it. Embrace AI, not fear it. The future of AI is not about replacing us, but enhancing our potential and what we can do.
Whatever direction you go, just know AI doesn’t make you any less valuable.
Have a good day!
That's a very relevant and timely question. Well, Wilkens, think of the calculator. When it was invented, did accountants disappear? No, but their roles evolved, and they were able to focus on more complex financial analysis.
And AI can never think on its own. It has no consciousness like you and I do. It’s simply trained on large datasets, that’s it. It does not learn by itself. We (humans) are superior and will continue to be.
Now, CS offers much more than just programming or coding when it comes to careers. For example, if you pursue a career as a web developer, AI might replace some aspects of your job, but that’s still years away from fully replacing you. On the other hand, careers within CS like software architecture, security analysis, understanding customer needs, or developing new ways to solve computing problems require critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and strategic vision. And no machine or algorithm can achieve that.
Think of AI as a tool you can learn to use, just like any other skill, and trust me, you can do wonderful things with it. Embrace AI, not fear it. The future of AI is not about replacing us, but enhancing our potential and what we can do.
Whatever direction you go, just know AI doesn’t make you any less valuable.
Have a good day!
Updated
Ankita’s Answer
AI is advancing fast — but that doesn’t make a computer science degree useless. In fact, it makes it more valuable than ever.
Here’s why:
AI needs people who understand how it works, how to build it, and how to use it responsibly. That’s what you learn in a CS degree — not just coding, but problem-solving, algorithms, ethics, data structures, and systems thinking.
AI is a tool, not a replacement. Just like calculators didn’t replace math students, AI helps programmers work faster — but skilled humans are still needed to design, debug, innovate, and lead.
The degree teaches you how to adapt. In tech, tools always change — what matters is learning how to learn, which is a core part of university-level computer science.
If you stay curious, build skills, and focus on both technical and human-centered thinking, you'll have a powerful career — not despite AI, but because of it.
Here’s why:
AI needs people who understand how it works, how to build it, and how to use it responsibly. That’s what you learn in a CS degree — not just coding, but problem-solving, algorithms, ethics, data structures, and systems thinking.
AI is a tool, not a replacement. Just like calculators didn’t replace math students, AI helps programmers work faster — but skilled humans are still needed to design, debug, innovate, and lead.
The degree teaches you how to adapt. In tech, tools always change — what matters is learning how to learn, which is a core part of university-level computer science.
If you stay curious, build skills, and focus on both technical and human-centered thinking, you'll have a powerful career — not despite AI, but because of it.
Updated
Stephanie’s Answer
Interesting thought about AI. One thing to consider is that AI starts with a programmer. Understanding how to program and how a machines works is essential in the AI world. AI today is only as good as the algorithm that teaches AI and some times the information that AI is gathering may not make sense. Studing computer science gives you the understanding of how to program those bots. The more diverse people that study computer science and understand how it work will make for more complex and more intelligent answers to more people.
What Frank said is accurate. Personally I glad for my studies in computer science and while I may not program or use it in my day to day career, I can reference the logical thinking when problem solving. Studying computer science can open your world to many careers in the technology industry, so I definitely would not count it out.
What Frank said is accurate. Personally I glad for my studies in computer science and while I may not program or use it in my day to day career, I can reference the logical thinking when problem solving. Studying computer science can open your world to many careers in the technology industry, so I definitely would not count it out.
Updated
Nathan’s Answer
TL;DR Computer Science is still a great path to pursue. We still need software developers, but AI will change how software developers do their job.
No one can tell you with any certainty how AI will play out in the next 5 years or so. Advances are too rapid, and t's just too early to tell.
First thing I would say is that we have to differentiate between two different types of AI:
1. Large language models
2. Agentic AI
You are probably already familiar with LLMs (Chat GPT, Gemini, Claude, etc) These can answer questions, summarize data, generate images, write code, etc. AI Agents are more sophisticated, they use LLMs, along with other tools to accomplish more sophisticated tasks. Think of AI Agents as automated workflows that have the ability to learn and iterate over a problem to achieve a goal.
So how do each of these technologies impact software developers?
I use LLMs on a daily basis to help me write code. How do they help me?
1. Write a test for code that wrote
2. Generate test data
3. Easier to ask technical questions about a library I am using. I used to search the internet for answers like this, but LLMs are easier to use for this. Technical documentation is public domain, so all the LLMs could train on this and answer questions very accurately.
4. Ask it about simple design trade offs
5. Generate a simple program to achieve a task. For example, I asked it to create a Python test script that reads in a CSV file and sends some data to a REST endpoint. I don't know much Python, but it did a great job and it saved me hours of development time
6. Write simple algorithms or suggested a more efficient way to do something. I often write a method and then ask the LLM if it can be improved. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not
Using an LLM definitely increases my productivity. Not in an earth shattering way, but it helps. It's also often wrong. Much of the code it generates doesn't actually work, but it get's you 80% of the way there. Today I used it to learn about implementing the Dagger dependency injection framework. It was helpful because I have never used Dagger, only Spring.
Takeaway: Developers need to integrate these tools into their daily work where they make sense. They do make you more productive but at a cost. You have to know enough to fix the code it generates, or know when it is just flat out wrong. You have probably heard "AI won't take your job, but someone else using AI will". I think this is probably true.
Now let's talk about Agentic AI. This is where AI gets more complicated and powerful. Agents can perform various tasks, and can even orchestrate other agents to complete a task. These agents are written by software developers. The agents also need to call other systems and services to do their work, and those are written by software developers. Think of AI Agents as riding on top of other infrastructure written and maintained by software developers. We still need people to create all this stuff. I am no expert in this area, but I have written and integrated some Tools used by an AI agent. This area is developing very rapidly, and no one knows where this will lead.
Takeaway: AI Agents can't do anything if there are no services and databases to call. Software developers are needed to create the agents and the services they use
We are in the euphoria stage of AI right now. I have never seen so much FOMO (fear of missing out) in my life. Is it possible that there will be fewer software developers in the future because of AI? Maybe, maybe not. In the short run, this could be true, but I think in the long run, we will just need more software developers. If my son wanted to be a computer science major, I would encourage him to do it. Another thing to think about, software developers don't just write code all day. Some days are like that, but on average, I might only spend a few hours a day coding.
Current AI can code, but we need software engineers. Software engineering is coding over time, and that still takes humans.
No one can tell you with any certainty how AI will play out in the next 5 years or so. Advances are too rapid, and t's just too early to tell.
First thing I would say is that we have to differentiate between two different types of AI:
1. Large language models
2. Agentic AI
You are probably already familiar with LLMs (Chat GPT, Gemini, Claude, etc) These can answer questions, summarize data, generate images, write code, etc. AI Agents are more sophisticated, they use LLMs, along with other tools to accomplish more sophisticated tasks. Think of AI Agents as automated workflows that have the ability to learn and iterate over a problem to achieve a goal.
So how do each of these technologies impact software developers?
I use LLMs on a daily basis to help me write code. How do they help me?
1. Write a test for code that wrote
2. Generate test data
3. Easier to ask technical questions about a library I am using. I used to search the internet for answers like this, but LLMs are easier to use for this. Technical documentation is public domain, so all the LLMs could train on this and answer questions very accurately.
4. Ask it about simple design trade offs
5. Generate a simple program to achieve a task. For example, I asked it to create a Python test script that reads in a CSV file and sends some data to a REST endpoint. I don't know much Python, but it did a great job and it saved me hours of development time
6. Write simple algorithms or suggested a more efficient way to do something. I often write a method and then ask the LLM if it can be improved. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not
Using an LLM definitely increases my productivity. Not in an earth shattering way, but it helps. It's also often wrong. Much of the code it generates doesn't actually work, but it get's you 80% of the way there. Today I used it to learn about implementing the Dagger dependency injection framework. It was helpful because I have never used Dagger, only Spring.
Takeaway: Developers need to integrate these tools into their daily work where they make sense. They do make you more productive but at a cost. You have to know enough to fix the code it generates, or know when it is just flat out wrong. You have probably heard "AI won't take your job, but someone else using AI will". I think this is probably true.
Now let's talk about Agentic AI. This is where AI gets more complicated and powerful. Agents can perform various tasks, and can even orchestrate other agents to complete a task. These agents are written by software developers. The agents also need to call other systems and services to do their work, and those are written by software developers. Think of AI Agents as riding on top of other infrastructure written and maintained by software developers. We still need people to create all this stuff. I am no expert in this area, but I have written and integrated some Tools used by an AI agent. This area is developing very rapidly, and no one knows where this will lead.
Takeaway: AI Agents can't do anything if there are no services and databases to call. Software developers are needed to create the agents and the services they use
We are in the euphoria stage of AI right now. I have never seen so much FOMO (fear of missing out) in my life. Is it possible that there will be fewer software developers in the future because of AI? Maybe, maybe not. In the short run, this could be true, but I think in the long run, we will just need more software developers. If my son wanted to be a computer science major, I would encourage him to do it. Another thing to think about, software developers don't just write code all day. Some days are like that, but on average, I might only spend a few hours a day coding.
Current AI can code, but we need software engineers. Software engineering is coding over time, and that still takes humans.
Updated
Daemion’s Answer
Great question, Wilkens,
I also have a Computer Science Degree, and it has really helped me face challenges with a positive attitude. From what I've seen, working hard and being open to new ideas show that anything is possible. Think of your CS degree and the four years you spent learning as just the beginning, getting you ready for the future...
You're going to do amazing!
I also have a Computer Science Degree, and it has really helped me face challenges with a positive attitude. From what I've seen, working hard and being open to new ideas show that anything is possible. Think of your CS degree and the four years you spent learning as just the beginning, getting you ready for the future...
You're going to do amazing!
Aida S. Romero
Laboratory Technician, Cancer and Immunology Scientist, Flow cytometry and Molecular Biology Specialist
1
Answer
Updated
Aida S.’s Answer
Hi Wilkens,
Artificial intelligence doesn't create; it feeds on prior information.
Nothing is set in stone, and studying a degree in computer science could give you the tools to contribute to its development if you so desire, or even push the boundaries of AI!
Artificial intelligence doesn't create; it feeds on prior information.
Nothing is set in stone, and studying a degree in computer science could give you the tools to contribute to its development if you so desire, or even push the boundaries of AI!
Updated
Marlon’s Answer
Not at all. I'm 25+ experience in technology and I can tell you that AI is a great tool to complement/automate processes that are repetitive/time consuming, but by no means to replace the reasoning from each professional. I know there are some people relaying on AI tools to do their job for them and that might pay off for a while but in the real work the people will see right through that and not chose you... Top performers need to excel by their own.
So keep pursuing your career, learn everything you need to learn and you master that then you can delegate to AI tools to do it for you.
So keep pursuing your career, learn everything you need to learn and you master that then you can delegate to AI tools to do it for you.
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