The claim that computer science (CS) is dead thanks to AI is false and spreading fast. Nobel laureate Christopher Pissarides and others warn students off CS, but experts say this advice misses the mark.
AI can write code, sure. But coding isn’t all CS is about. CS covers building complex systems, designing new languages, securing infrastructure, and more. These tasks still demand human skills AI can’t match yet—or anytime soon.
AI excels at making predictions and repackaging info smoothly. It uses heuristics, not real thinking. Prompt engineering jobs? Nearly nonexistent. Instead, CS roles have expanded with AI tools. 
Here are 10 places AI fails without human pros:
1. Tweaking hedge fund algorithms for changing markets.
2. Diagnosing cloud outages at scale.
3. Reworking code for quantum computing.
4. Designing and securing cloud OSes.
5. Creating energy-efficient AI hardware code.
6. Building secure software for nuclear plants.
7. Validating surgical robot software.
8. Authenticating email sources.
9. Auditing AI cancer prediction tools.
10. Developing safer, controllable AI systems.
AI changes CS workflows but doesn’t replace the field. Building, maintaining, and governing AI all need CS experts. Unless we stop expecting any new tech challenges (which won’t happen), CS stays critical.
> “Writing code is not synonymous with CS. One can learn to write code without ever attending a single university class, but a CS degree goes far beyond this one skill. It involves, among many other things, engineering complex systems, designing infrastructure and future programming languages, ensuring cybersecurity and verifying systems for correctness.”
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> “AI cannot reliably do these tasks, nor will it be able to in the foreseeable future. Human input remains essential, but pessimistic misinformation risks steering tens of thousands of talented students away from important, meaningful careers in this vital field.”
The industrial revolution displaced factory workers but created a new tech workforce. The AI era looks the same: demand for skilled CS pros is hotter than ever. Ignore the doom talk. CS is far from over.
