Why kids still need to learn to code in the age of AI - A position paper from the Raspberry Pi Foundation - June 2025

Oct 21, 2026

A position paper argues that children must still learn to code in the age of AI, even as generative tools begin to produce code from natural-language prompts. It frames coding as a powerful educational pathway that develops mental models and fluency for critical problem-solving, ethical decision-making, and skilled human programming. The paper also links coding to modern literacy, expanding economic opportunities through computation, and emphasizes that young people who learn to code will help shape the future.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Why kids still need to learn to code in the age of AI

Why do I need to learn this?

We put forward five arguments

We need humans who are skilled programmers

Why kids still need to learn to code in the age of AI A position paper from the Raspberry Pi Foundation Philip Colligan, Mark Griffiths, Veronica Cucuiat June 2025 Why kids still need to learn to code in the age of AI 0. Why do I need to learn this? It’s a question that every teacher needs to be ready to answer. Learning takes time and effort, and, given an already packed curriculum and no shortage of ideas about what else should be added, we need to justify everything that we expect young people to study. Until recently, the rationale for learning to code seemed clear: it was a pathway to a wellpaid job. Tech companies have long bemoaned a shortage of coding skills and there is good evidence that young people who study computer science earn more.¹ And it wasn’t just about access to jobs. Learning to code empowers young people to use technology to solve problems that they care about, to express themselves creatively, and to build businesses that could change the world. For the past decade, the challenge facing education systems wasn’t whether they should be equipping young people with the ability to code, it was how they should go about it. So has something changed? The past couple of years have seen huge advances in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics, and automation that are already reshaping the way we live, work, learn, and interact. No one really knows how far-reaching these changes will be, but it seems plausible that we are living through one of the most significant waves of technological innovation in history. One of the fastest developing applications of generative AI has been systems that can generate code. Trained on huge repositories of human-generated code, tools like GitHub’s Copilot and Replit’s Ghostwriter can now generate increasingly complex code from natural language prompts, ushering in a new era of “vibe-coding”. This is leading many to question whether young people should bother to learn to code and for some to even predict the end of programming as we know it.² So what should we say to the ten year-old who is invited to put together some coding blocks in a computer science class when she asks “Why do I need to learn this?” In this paper, we put forward five arguments for why we think that kids still need to learn to code in the age of AI. We argue that even in a world where AI can generate code, we will need skilled human programmers who can think critically, solve problems, and make ethical decisions. Young people need to learn to code because it is the most effective way for them to develop the mental models and fluency to become skilled human programmers. We argue that learning to code will open up more economic opportunities for young people as the advances in technology expand the range of problems that can be solved through computation. We also make the case for coding as a modern form of literacy that gives young people agency in a world mediated by digital technologies. And finally, we explain why those who learn to code will be the ones who ultimately shape the future that we all live in and therefore we should open those opportunities to as wide a group as possible. Why kids still need to learn to code in the age of AI We do so with humility and in full recognition that we are living through a period of rapid technological change, with all the uncertainty that involves. But, right now, based on all of the information that we have available, we think that learning to code remains a powerful way of equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to shape the world that they live in. 1. We need humans who are skilled programmers One of the great things about natural language is that it can cope with ambiguity. Wetend to understand each other even when we are a bit loose with our words. So it’snot surprising that “code” has often been used as a shorthand for the whole field of computer science or that we say “coding”

FAQs

Why does the paper say children still need to learn to code in the age of AI?

Because even if AI can generate code, society will still require skilled human programmers who can think critically, solve problems, and make ethical decisions.

How does the paper connect learning to code with future opportunities for young people?

It argues that learning to code can expand economic opportunities as technology broadens the range of problems that can be solved through computation.

What does the paper mean by coding as a modern form of literacy?

It describes coding as giving young people agency in a world increasingly mediated by digital technologies, enabling them to use computation to shape outcomes.

Oct 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aria Callaghan