Learning to program in the AI age

I have been thinking about what advice I would give to my students, who are starting to learn how to program using Python, in the age of generative AI tools and LLMs.

• Why learning to program is as useful as ever, even with powerful AI tools available.

• How to use AI as a tutor rather than a shortcut, and why practice remains the key to real understanding.

• What the real learning objectives are: mental models, managing complexity, and thinking like a software developer.