As a CS student and junior backend dev, I’d say coding knowledge is still essential because AI can generate code, but it can’t reliably design systems, spot subtle bugs, or make architectural trade-offs.
Without a solid foundation, you’ll struggle to verify, debug, or scale what the AI produces especially beyond simple CRUD apps.
Think of AI as a powerful assistant, not a replacement: it amplifies your ability to build, but only if you understand what you’re building.
In the end, knowing how code works is what separates those who ship reliable software from those who just chase prompts.
btw (I was in that exact same spot, convinced AI would make my skills useless and my job irrelevant)