Do YOU Need to Learn to Code?

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of?AI Strategy Brief. In this edition we’ll look at some recent developments in the AI space, and ask the burning question of the day – 'Do YOU need to learn to code?'

This Week in AI:

• Elon Musk Speaks on the Dangers of AI Development
• ChatGPT Bots Now Available on iPhone
• Google is Building Stronger AI-Based Search

Elon Musk on the Dangers of AI

You may have seen the interview earlier this week, where Elon Musk laid out the dangers of AI as he sees them, likening?the moment when an AI intelligence emerges that is superior to the smartest human, as being like approaching the event horizon of a blackhole. He claims it’s a singularity as we just don’t know what will happen. This is his base case for increased regulation of AI. Is this genuine concern and industry stewardship, or clever sandbagging of the competition to make up for being out-innovated? Or perhaps a bit of both? You can view part of the interview?here?and decide for yourself.?

ChatGPT Bots Now Available on iPhone

A new app from?ChitChat?aims to provide a series of ‘Friends’ (Bots) that you can talk to, to help you solve everyday problems ranging from issues with your car, to generating more authentic marketing content. In a sign of things to come,?you can convert PDFs into Bots and then chat to them, to find the answers you want. Hard to imagine many of us will miss the hours spent scanning through PDFs in search of that one word or reference.

Google is Building Stronger AI-Based Search

In a bid to combat Microsoft’s acquisition of OpenAI, Google has assigned over 160 engineers to a new working project aimed at developing a next generation AI-based search tool according to a?New York Times article. The project is rumoured to follow the ChatGPT style interface and incorporate the ability to perform functions for the users, such as booking flights. If so, we can already see the Dominant Design emerging for AI applications, particularly on the customer facing side. It seems already that?Chat is King.?

The Big Question: Do YOU Need to Learn to Code?

One thing I’ve been asked recently by a few people at different levels in organisations, is whether they should now learn to code. While in general any valuable skill you can acquire is a good idea, there is always the effort reward trade-off to consider, and you could look at this from either side of the debate.

Why You Should Learn to Code

On the one hand, with the increasing developments in AI applications, and general technology linked to computer science and programming, adding the ability to code to your skill set would seem like a wise choice. You may moderate this depending on where you are in your own career progression, but?it is hard to see how adding a little knowledge on programming and computer science would not benefit your career, and life, in the long run.?

Why You Shouldn’t Learn to Code

On the other side of the debate, there are people who look at how fast AI itself is developing, and rightly wonder?when we will see AI itself surpass humans as the best programmer. It is hard to see how even the best human programmer could compete with an AI coder that works faster, does not make errors (at least in the same way), never tires, works all night, draws no salary, and never presents the risk of leaving your company to join the competition. From a resource, knowledge, and capability standpoint, this represents a huge step forward in the search for?AI-based sustainable competitive advantage. However, I would think, as has happened in other professions, new technology will empower and alter the form of knowledge work we do, rather than fully replace the profession itself.?

Read Before You Write

So where does this leave us on the ‘learn to code’ debate? Well again, I think if you are very early in your career, it is a smart investment with little downside risk and a huge potential upside. Can you really come up with a reason not to dedicate some time to this? For the rest of us, I would ask,?how much could your work and career benefit by being able to READ code??

Room for Quants and Poets

A bit like when you go abroad on holidays and manage to remember just enough Spanish from your school days to order something nice for dinner,?there is a huge potential benefit and ROI if you can understand code even a little, to the point of understanding how coding languages work. Being able to read yourself into the discussions and converse more natively with those involved in the development and management of your organisation’s AI, would be a huge benefit for any senior decision-maker whether a Senior Executive, CEO or Board Member. For the Poets in the audience, don’t be discouraged. You might have an advantage over the Quants in some ways and you’d be surprised at how much concepts like syntax and other linguistics structures carry over into programming languages.??

Pseudocode as a Minimum for Leaders

A quick option and easy way to step into this would be to get familiar with Pseudocode, a form of notation resembling a simple programming language.?You can think of Pseudocode as code written in plain English, or any other human language, that is formatted to make it easily translatable into a programming language such as C, Python or Rust.?Being able to think in this sort of vernacular, would be a serious help to any senior leader who is looking to better understand what is under the hood in AI, and how to communicate with their team members driving the developments of AI within and across their organisation. Without this level of operational understanding, being able to craft an effective AI Strategy, or ensure high standards in AI Governance, is going to be like flying in the dark.?

Leadership Takeaways:

• AI will someday itself become the best coder / programmer.
• Learning a programming language is a significant investment not to be undertaken lightly.
• If earlier in your career, it is probably worth learning at least one programming language.
• Senior leaders should at least become familiar with Pseudocode.
• Being able to natively understand and converse with staff managing organisational AI is a crucial minimum for effective AI Strategy and Governance.?

That’s it for this week’s edition of?AI Strategy Brief. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this update and learned something new. If you found something of value, please subscribe and share this article with others. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, I’d love to hear them in the comments section below.?

See you next time!