Will AI Replace Programmers: Does It Still Make Sense to Teach a Child to Code in 2026
The question comes up more and more on parent forums in Czechia and Slovakia: if artificial intelligence already writes code, why should a child learn to program? It is a fair question — and the answer is not that AI is harmless, but that the role of the programmer itself is changing.
Let us take it in order: what AI actually does to the programming profession, what the labour-market data says through 2030, and why for a child aged 8–17 the point is less about writing code than about learning to think.
Let us take it in order: what AI actually does to the programming profession, what the labour-market data says through 2030, and why for a child aged 8–17 the point is less about writing code than about learning to think.
What AI Actually Does to the Programming Profession
Czech IT companies, including the leadership of Unicorn, agree on the assessment: AI will change the work of programmers but will not take their jobs. Tools like code assistants take over routine work, speed up development and lower the barrier to entry. But to use them meaningfully you have to understand what they do: without basic knowledge a person cannot tell a good result from a flawed one and does not know what to keep and what to discard.
AI will change the work of programmers but will not take their jobs.
What the Labour-Market Data Says Through 2030
The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2025 estimates that by 2030 around 170 million new jobs will be created, about 92 million will be displaced, and the net gain will be roughly 78 million. The fastest-growing roles in percentage terms are big data specialists, fintech engineers and AI and machine-learning specialists; software developers rank fourth. The Forum estimates that about 39% of workers' key skills will change by 2030, with technology skills rising in importance faster than any others.
These numbers do not mean a child must be groomed into a programmer specifically. They mean something else: technological literacy is becoming a basic skill in almost any profession, the way reading and writing once did. A child who understands how programs and algorithms work has an advantage regardless of whether they later choose IT.
| Learning to code now arguably makes more sense than before.
These numbers do not mean a child must be groomed into a programmer specifically. They mean something else: technological literacy is becoming a basic skill in almost any profession, the way reading and writing once did. A child who understands how programs and algorithms work has an advantage regardless of whether they later choose IT.
| Learning to code now arguably makes more sense than before.
What This Means for a Child Aged 8–17
For a child, the value of coding is not in the syntax of a specific language, which will almost certainly have changed by the time they enter the job market. The value is in a way of thinking: breaking a big task into parts, testing a hypothesis, finding and fixing an error, carrying a project through to a result. These are exactly the skills AI does not perform for a person, but rather demands of whoever directs it. So learning to code now arguably makes more sense than before — provided the child learns to think, not just to copy code.
Free First Coding Lesson for Kids at Algonova
At Algonova a child learns not to memorise syntax but to solve problems: through a project-based method they carry their own idea through to a finished game, website or app, picking up modern tools along the way. Classes run in a small group of up to 10 children or one-on-one with an instructor — the parent's choice. The first trial lesson is always individual, lasts 60 minutes, takes place online and is free; the child leaves with a completed mini-project.
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Frequently Asked Questions from Parents
Specific languages change, but the way of thinking — breaking down a task, debugging, finishing a result — stays in demand. These are exactly the skills AI demands of the person directing it, rather than replacing.
According to the World Economic Forum 2025 report, by 2030 around 170 million new roles are expected and 92 million displaced, a net gain of roughly 78 million. The fastest-growing roles are tied to data, AI and software development.
The approach has not changed: from age 8 in visual environments like Scratch, from 10–12 Python and games, from 13 web technologies. AI does not cancel these steps; it adds the ability to work with tools on top of the fundamentals.
That is a real risk in self-study without feedback. With a teacher the child learns to understand rather than copy: the instructor sees where the child took a ready-made solution and steers them back to their own thinking.
Sources: World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025 (170M new roles, 92M displaced, 78M net gain, 39% of skills, fastest-growing roles); e15.cz (Unicorn leaders on AI and programmers); Engeto.cz (learning to code in the AI era).
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