Geoffrey Hinton, also known as the Godfather of AI in the industry, has made yet another interesting statement about the future of jobs. Talking to Business Insider, he urged students and engineers not to leave computer science degrees despite the massive growth of AI. As per him, the relevance of computer science extends far beyond traditional programming, which he believes will be taken over by AI over the years.
Hinton mentioned that many people are misunderstanding the scope of a CS degree, thinking it revolves solely around writing code. While the routine programming work may eventually be automated, he said the field equips students with deeper technical foundations, including system thinking, math reasoning, and complex problem solving, skills he believes will remain essential for decades to come.
He also encouraged the younger students to continue learning to code, even if AI tools eventually handle most practical programming. He compared coding education to learning Latin: it may not be used conversationally, but it offers intellectual value and strengthens analytical abilities.
For those preparing to pursue careers in AI research or engineering, Hinton also mentioned the importance of strong fundamentals. Proficiency in mathematics, including statistics, probability, linear algebra, will continue to be indispensable, he said.
Hinton, as per the report, stated his opinion on the ongoing rivalry between OpenAI and Google in the race to build the most advanced AI systems. He thinks that Google has started catching up in the race and will possibly overtake OpenAI in the coming years. He also stated that he was surprised that the company took this long to close the gap, adding that Google’s latest advancements indicate it’s now stepping up in some areas.