Valve co-founder Gabe Newell weighed in on AI’s place in programming during a recent interview with YouTuber Zalkar Saliev.
Newell sees AI as a tool reshaping how developers work but insists understanding the tech behind AI is key.
He told Saliev, 
"I think it’s both.
I think the more you understand what underlies these current tools the more effective you are at taking advantage of them,
but I think we’ll be in this funny situation where people who don’t know how to program who use AI to scaffold their programming abilities will become more effective developers of value than people who’ve been programming, y’know, for a decade."
Newell stressed that whether you’re just using AI tools or programming with deep knowledge, there are big gains to be had,
"Even if you’re just a pure tool user you’re going to find that the gains to utilising those tools are very, very high,"
"But your ability to use those tools will continue to improve the more you understand the underlying methods and mindsets of people developing machine learning systems.
So I think it’s both, and I think they’re highly complementary."
The interview drop comes amid widely mixed views on AI coding. Some say AI will replace programmers, others warn AI-generated code is error-prone and needs heavy human oversight.
Newell, who also co-founded neural interface startup Starfish Neuroscience, remains bullish on AI’s potential despite recent reports of AI tools replacing human workers — as seen in layoffs at King.
Watch the full snippet on YouTube: Gabe Newell helped shape modern gaming. Now he says AI is about to reshape everything.
