Yes, and

Carson Gross answers whether people should still pursue programming in an AI era with a clear "Yes, and...": programming remains essential because it’s about solving problems with computers and managing complexity. He warns that relying on AI to generate code robs junior programmers of the hands-on experience needed to develop the intuition to read, understand and control systems; LLM-produced code is nondeterministic and often introduces accidental complexity unlike compiler-generated assembly. He recommends students force themselves to write assignments, use AI as a teaching assistant rather than a code factory (he even provides an AGENTS.md to configure helpful agents), and avoid falling into the Sorcerer’s Apprentice Trap of systems they can’t manage.

He argues the role will shift: raw coding may decline in relative value while communication, business understanding and system-architecting skills will rise. Effective LLM usage becomes a new craft - seniors should leverage models to analyze code, draft small snippets, suggest tests and organize projects but not design APIs or entire solutions; juniors must still write code to gain the experience necessary to become good architects. For job-hunting now, personal networks (family, friends and friends-of-friends) beat generic online listings, and companies should allow juniors the chance to code.