Highlights
- Google’s Head of Research, Yossi Matias, told Business Insider that learning to code remains a valuable skill.
- He compared coding to math and emphasized that learning “basic disciplines” is “as important as ever.”
The slogan “learn to code” gained popularity in the 2010s. A decade later, Google’s head of research says the advice still holds true—even in the age of AI.
“I think the basic notion of learning the fundamental disciplines remains as important as ever,” Yossi Matias, Google’s head of research, told Business Insider during an interview at the company’s Chelsea office in New York.
This statement might surprise some, as companies increasingly rely on AI for certain coding tasks. With tools like GitHub Copilot emerging, a Microsoft manager recently told BI that AI has cut his coding time by an estimated 70%.
The shift has sparked concerns among software engineers about the future of their jobs and caused anxiety among college students pursuing traditional computer science degrees.
Matias, who also serves as a VP at Google and has led Google Search for over a decade, acknowledged that some junior professionals have faced “challenges” in gaining the experience they seek.
AI, he explained, often assists with more junior-level tasks, which “may or may not have some impact” on career progression. To address this, Google has sponsored initiatives to help junior employees through this stage.
Despite these changes, Matias emphasized that AI isn’t replacing the entire coding process. Although Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, stated that a quarter of all code is now AI-generated, Matias pointed out that engineers still review and approve that code.
Matias reiterated his belief that “everybody should learn how to code,” adding that the basics might be more important than ever.
“Perhaps even more so now, there are going to be many more opportunities to actually build on that,” he said.
AI will impact a wide range of fields
Matias emphasized that even people who don’t want to become software engineers should understand how technology works, just as they need to grasp basic math despite computers handling complex calculations.
“I think basic coding is like basic math,” Matias said. “You need to understand what’s going on there.”
Although ChatGPT’s launch two years ago sparked the generative AI race and made the technology a mainstream topic, AI research has been a cornerstone of tech giants like Google for over 20 years.
Matias predicted that AI will enhance nearly every field, especially biology, chemistry, and medicine. He described it as “both a tool and a science.”
“It’s not only chatbots,” Matias said.
Google Research has already applied AI in tools like flood forecasting models, which Matias said could save lives. The company has also developed image classification tools for healthcare.
“We got some testimonials from people who said, ‘This might’ve saved my life because I got some information that led me to see a doctor,'” Matias shared.
He noted that the healthcare industry presents “a huge opportunity” for AI to transform society. With a global shortage of healthcare workers, technology can help increase productivity, improve equity, and assist in identification, he explained.
Matias also highlighted education as an industry that AI could revolutionize. He suggested AI could be integrated in various ways, such as creating interactive quizzes and making education more effective and engaging.
Given AI’s potential to impact so many fields, Matias stressed that it’s important to “master the basic things,” such as the fundamentals of coding.
