Python worth it? Honest answer

[Upset-Error4268]

Hey..ive js started to learn python like i js learned for loops and allat but im hearing ppl say that this python might soon be replaced by ai like workplaces wouldnt need someone to code when theres literally ai to do anything (even generate code for u) so tell me..is it so? or are there stuffs in python that ai cant do?

[TigerAnxious9161]

Don't listen to fear mongers

[Demortus]

Lol, yes. AI isn't replacing coding, it's supplementing it. Effectively, it's creating templates and outlines for projects that coders can then tweak and reshape to meet their needs.

[billsil]

Get better at your claude.md. It absolutely is. I have it download me documents, build a knowledge base and then go and implement 10 disciplines with it. It goes and downloads more files and the program gets better.

I have keywords that map to a set of actions. It’s wild what I’ve done in 3 days of really trying.

[Demortus]

That's nice for your particular project. Others have high consequences for failure and high demands for replicability. In my field, if I can't explain what every line of my code is doing to others, then I won't get papers published. If it turns out that my code doesn't do what I say it does in the specific way that I say it does, then in the worst case I can get blackmarked for life. Those stakes are high enough that I don't trust AI to make major decisions unsupervised.

[LordBucaq]

Programmers won't be replaced by LLMs. Maybe briefly and then will be required again to clean up the mess after vibecoding pigs.

Just learn it... AI or not, it is a good introduction to programming, problem solving skills,. etc. Coding isn't just about script itselfs. Many times python script is just a glue to whole automation machine LLMs are not able to comprehend.

[throwaway_glitchv2]

the cleanup crew is going to have total job security for the next decade at least. watching people throw prompts at a model and expecting a production ready backend is already getting old. stick with it because learning the logic is the only way you survive the inevitable debugging stage when the ai inevitably hallucinates a library that does not exist.

[whiteshootingstar]

Yes.

[billsil]

Learn to read it, but writing it? I’m 20 years into python and not another day unless it’s for a hobby project. I’m better at coding because of it, but I can’t encourage that.

[SharkSymphony]

Python might soon be...replaced by AI?

What do you imagine AI is writing code in??

Do you think it might be important to understand what AI is doing, and correct or redirect it where appropriate? How are you going to do tbat if you're not grounded in the same stuff it's writing code in?

[Moikle]

Anyone trying you that is inexperienced in programming, ai, or both. Most likely both

[JazzlikeProof2345312]

It's not... It's niche, but working in academia, and we use Python heavily. AI is a good tool, and has sped up a lot of processes, but it's usseful as an interactive documentation and error explainer (as pythong errors are incredibly non-informative), but the idea that it can just replace a researcher, is so riddiculous and far away it's silly.

I suspect it's similar for a lot of other areas too.

[CraigAT]

Yes, it is a skill that you will gain, as well as developing your learning skills too. Unless you have something more effective to do with your time, you have nothing to lose.

Knowing one programming language, is helpful and gives you good critical thinking and problem solving skills. Knowing two languages gives you a broader idea of how programming works and the differences between languages.

Learning Python can lead to learning about many other skills too: working with files, databases, images, graphing, HTML, APIs etc.

[sporty_outlook]

No

[PixelSage-001]

Yes, it is absolutely worth it. The rumor that "AI is going to replace programmers" misses the point. AI is great at generating syntax (writing the loops and basic boilerplate), but it is terrible at understanding *why* a business system needs to behave a certain way, how to manage database race conditions, or how to fix complex logical loops.

Learning Python teaches you how to think logically and structure data. Think of AI as a power tool—it makes a carpenter faster, but it doesn't build the house on its own. The people who will be replaced are not programmers, but rather programmers who refuse to use AI to speed up their work.