Should you still learn programming if AI can code?

TL;DR

Yes, you should still learn programming in late 2026, even though AI can write most of your code. Whoever knows how to code will be a better developer with AI, and job interviews still test programming. If you just want to make games for fun, you can play around with AI. If you are new to programming and want to be good at it, stay away from AI for several months while you learn.

It's late 2026, and AI can't be ignored anymore. Early in 2026, AI was not as good with Unity as it was with websites, and I even wrote about it in my older articles from just five months ago. But my opinion on AI has changed. We have already entered a new age of development where we can build anything we want. Programming is finally easy, and honestly, I am happy about it.

At first, I was concerned because devs were losing jobs to AI, which is still true today, but on the other hand, our job has become easy. I am finally enjoying my work. I've never been more productive in my life than I am today, and my GitHub activity is proof.

Table of contents

• If programming is easy now, what is left to learn?
• Who can get away without learning to code?
• What happens when your AI-written game needs to scale?
• What should you still learn if AI writes the code?
• How do you learn programming without letting AI think for you?

If programming is easy now, what is left to learn?

People like to say things with confidence, as if they know what will happen with AI, as if they can predict the future. That is a wrong opinion. As for where AI is going, I don't know. So I will just try to explain it as best I can.

I am of the opinion that you still have to learn programming, learn code architecture, basic programming, etc., if you want to stay competitive. Most of your work will be done with AI, and you will not be typing code anymore. But you still have to learn some. What will make you stand out as a developer?

Did you watch the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper? In the movie, they are taking these drugs that make them super smart, and it works like using AI in 2026. You have an answer to anything, and you can do anything you ever wanted. But the way I saw it, what made them stand out in the movie was that whoever was smarter without taking the drug was also smarter with the drug. So that is a parallel I am drawing.

Whoever knew how to code before AI will be a better dev with AI. So that is why I always advise that you learn to code. You will not have to learn programming in depth like you did before AI, that is for sure, but you still have to learn it.

Who can get away without learning to code?

If you just want to make games for fun and you don't want to work as a hired developer in a company, then you can just play around with AI. That's the rule I made. In job interviews, you are still being asked programming questions, because nobody wants to hire a bad programmer, even though he might not code manually. Even before AI, coding interviews were super difficult, even though once you got hired, you were changing button colors.

What happens when your AI-written game needs to scale?

This is where knowing how to code comes in handy. Try to code your own graphics without ever writing a shader in your life. AI is going to do it, but as the game scales, you will not be able to optimize the graphics. You will not know what is increasing your ms per frame, because you never learned about the right algorithms that work in games, or you do not understand the limits of your own hardware.

What should you still learn if AI writes the code?

You should still learn fundamentals, like loops, statements, and basic data types, because it trains your brain to think like a programmer. You will be able to "code" without understanding these in the future, thanks to AI, but I still don't recommend it.

Understanding code architecture is another thing, but to be honest, recent AI updates can do it too. I remember just a year ago when you had to guide your LLM to do the right architecture. You had to babysit it. Also, you had to write countless AI skills. But in late 2026, it writes good architecture even without skills. But you still want to use skills to reduce token spending.

How do you learn programming without letting AI think for you?

Just don't use AI. That is the only answer to this question. When I work with my students, they are not allowed to use AI at all for several months until they develop a programming mindset. If you are new to programming and you want to be good at it, do not use AI while you are learning.

And this is nothing new. This has been a thing since ChatGPT 3.5 in late 2022. AI will not replace your teacher, because you don't know what you don't know, so you can't ask AI the right questions. If AI lies to you, how will you know? That is why you want to stay away from AI for some time.