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Geoffrey Hinton, best known as the “Godfather of AI,” is pushing back against the growing belief that artificial intelligence is making computer science degrees obsolete. Speaking to Business Insider, Geoffrey Hinton argued that while AI is rapidly transforming coding jobs, now is not the time for students to abandon computer science as a field of study.

As agentic AI tools become more capable—handling everything from writing code to debugging software—many students are questioning whether a computer science (CS) degree is still worth the effort. Hinton’s answer is clear: yes, but for reasons that go far beyond programming alone.

Godfather of AI says Coding Is Only Part of Computer Science

“Many people think a CS degree is just programming or something,” Hinton told Business Insider. “Obviously, just being a competent mid-level programmer is not going to be a career for much longer, because AI can do that.”

According to the Godfather of AI, this misconception misses the deeper value of computer science education. A CS degree is not simply vocational training in writing code—it is about how to think.

“The value of a CS degree is much more than just coding,” Hinton said, adding that he believes a CS degree “will be valuable for quite a long time.”

Tech Leaders Agree with Geoffrey Hinton: CS Isn’t Dead

Hinton’s perspective aligns with views expressed by other prominent figures in technology. OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor who holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University. He claims a computer science degree is “extremely valuable.”

“There’s a lot more to coding than writing the code,” Taylor said. “Computer science is a wonderful major to learn systems thinking.”

That emphasis on systems thinking—understanding how complex components interact—is increasingly important as AI becomes embedded across industries, from healthcare to finance.

Computer Science Programs Must Evolve

Still, experts agree that computer science education cannot remain static. Sameer Samat, Google’s head of Android, previously told Business Insider that CS programs need to be reframed around “the science, in my opinion, of solving problems.”

Meanwhile, UC Berkeley professor Hany Farid said the most exciting opportunities for CS graduates may lie outside traditional Silicon Valley tech giants.

“I have always contended that the most exciting applications of computer science are not at Facebook, Google, and Amazon,” Farid said, pointing instead to fields such as computational drug discovery, medical imaging, neuroscience, finance, and even digital humanities involving art and music.

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Why Learning to Code Still Matters

Despite AI’s growing ability to “vibe code,” Hinton remains a strong believer in teaching young students how to code. He likened it to learning Latin in a humanities education.
“You’re never going to speak Latin, but it’s still useful learning Latin,” Hinton said. “I think it’s very useful to learn to code.”

For Hinton, coding is an intellectual discipline—one that strengthens reasoning skills, even if AI handles much of the execution in the future.

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Focus on Skills AI Can’t Replace

Hinton’s advice for aspiring AI researchers and engineers is to prioritize enduring foundations over fleeting technical trends.

“Some skills that are always going to be valuable,” he said, include mathematics, statistics, probability theory, and linear algebra. “That’s not knowledge that’s going to disappear.”

In a fast-changing tech landscape with AI-driven job disruption Hinton’s message is grounded and optimistic: computer science still matters, but only if students learn how to think, not just how to code.