Do developers still need to learn programming languages in the age of AI?

While AI tools are nice to have, they are not a sum total solution, or replacement in the case of developers. …

Whatever area of tech you work in, innovation and evolution are integral parts of the industry.

Developers in particular are best positioned when they constantly adapt and improve their fluency in multiple programming languages, especially if they want to boost their desirability when it comes togetting hired.

But how can developers feasibly learn so many languages fluently?

Practice makes perfect is the traditional and more arduous option, but increasingly developers are turning to AI tools such as Copilot, an autocomplete for computer code created by Github that uses OpenAI’s largest and latest language models, GPT 3.5 and GPT 4.

In fact, research conducted by Github found that Copilot could improve perceived productivity by 88%, make coding less frustrating (59%), and allow 74% of developers to focus on more satisfying elements of the job.

The technology also increased efficiency: 88% said they experienced faster completion, 96% were faster with repetitive tasks, and 87% reported that using Copilot facilitated using less mental effort on repetitive tasks.

Learning curve

AI as a coworker isn’t a new concept — but could AI tools ever replace developers entirely?

Speaking at the recentWorld Government Summit in Dubai, Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang voiced his belief that learning programming languages won’t be as important in the future.

“It is our job to create computing technology such that nobody has to program, and that the programming language is human, everybody in the world is now a programmer,” he said. “For the very first time you can imagine everybody in your company being a technologist.”

The idea of this equitable playing field might seem like a utopian solution to the current skills shortage across the tech industry, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the technology will still need to be guided by humans.

So while AI tools are nice to have, they are not a sum total solution, or replacement in the case of developers. If you’re looking for your next opportunity to expand upon your skillset and further your career, the VentureBeat Job Board is the perfect place to focus your search.

It features thousands of opportunities for developers, such as the three below.

Sr Gameplay Software Engineer, Electronic Arts, Orlando

Electronic Arts is seeking a Software Engineer to develop in-game AI behaviors and player mechanics to work with its gameplay team to improve and rework existing AI and animation systems. In this position you will work side-by-side with game designers and animators.

You will take part in the full game creation process from design and architecture, writing technical documentation, code implementation, debugging and tuning gameplay behaviors and ensuring owned features are shipped under performance, memory and load time budgets.

Applicants should have robust, solid C/C++ skills along with the ability to write clear, maintainable, portable code.  Interested? Apply here.

Software Developer, Oracle, Seattle

Oracle is looking for a Software Developer to join its team and help design, develop, troubleshoot and debug a set of core OCI storage infrastructure services. As a member of this group, you will actively define and evolve standard practices and procedures, provide technical leadership to other software developers, and specify, design and implement modest changes to existing software architecture to meet continuously evolving needs.

You will be expected to act as a technical leader on your team and demonstrate core values for other junior engineers. You should be both a rock-solid coder and a distributed systems generalist, able to dive deep into any part of the stack and low-level systems and design broad distributed system interactions. Find out more about this job here.

Software Developer, SAIC, Washington

SAIC is seeking an experienced Software Developer to work on development of the NAVAIR Airworthiness electronic Flight Clearance and associated mobile applications. The team is responsible for developing and maintaining NAVAIR ACO systems used to provide NATOPS flight manual and NATIP systems information manual publications for all U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

In this role you will be required to design, build and/or fix bugs in a web application, ensure the performance, quality and responsiveness of the application and implement long term solutions and building blocks within the agile framework for improved reusability. See the full job description here.

Whether you want to take your coding career to the next level or are ready to apply your decades of programming experience in a new way, visit the VentureBeat Job Board today.

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