Искусственный интеллект: угроза для дипломов и будущего программистов Translation: Artificial Intelligence: A Threat to Diplomas and the Future of Programmers

Artificial intelligence has diminished the value of computer science degrees from Stanford, shifting the prestigious «gold standard» status to mere «bronze,» reports the Los Angeles Times.

Students from one of the top universities in the U.S. are taken aback by the lack of job offers. Journalists highlight the rapid changes: when today’s graduates enrolled, ChatGPT was yet to emerge, and now AI systems can write code more proficiently than most humans.

«Stanford Computer Science graduates are struggling to secure entry-level positions in some of the most renowned tech companies,» stated Ian Liphardt, an associate professor in the university’s Bioengineering department.

The fast-paced advancements of generative artificial intelligence in programming have increased the productivity of seasoned developers, yet simultaneously hindered job prospects for newcomers.

«The atmosphere on campus is quite grim. Those job hunting are under a lot of stress,» shared a recent computer science graduate.

The crisis has impacted educational institutions throughout California, from Berkeley to USC. Graduates with less prestigious degrees have found themselves in even more precarious positions.

Eylul Akgul recounted receiving her computer science degree from Loyola Marymount University last year. After not receiving a single job offer, she returned to Turkey to gain experience at a startup. Even after returning to the U.S. with real-world experience, it took her four months to find work.

«The job market for programmers is becoming extremely saturated,» she noted.

Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, it could program for 30 seconds at a time. Modern AI agents can code continuously for hours, executing basic tasks quickly with fewer errors.

Startups like OpenAI and Anthropic continue to grow their teams, yet this does not offset the cuts in hiring in other sectors. According to Stanford, employment among entry-level developers aged 22 to 25 has dropped by about 20% compared to peak levels at the end of 2022.

The competition posed by AI is also felt beyond IT. Hiring for customer support and accounting roles has decreased by 13% compared to professions where automation is less feasible (e.g., caregiving).

In Los Angeles, around 200,000 jobs are at risk. Algorithms can now perform 40% of tasks done by call center agents, editors, and personal finance experts.

Many tech startups are openly announcing layoffs amid the rise of artificial intelligence.

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, stated that 70-90% of the code for some of the company’s products was written by Claude. He predicts that in five years, nearly half of the entry-level white-collar jobs will vanish.

Nenad Medvidović, a professor of computer science at USC, mentioned that while hiring managers once needed ten programmers, today they require just two highly skilled engineers and one AI agent.

«We no longer need juniors. Currently, AI programs better than graduates from prestigious institutions,» claimed Amr Awadalla, CEO of AI startup Vectara.

While AI isn’t yet ready to completely replace developers, it excels at structured, repetitive tasks, shifting human roles toward oversight.

Modern models are powerful but unstable. They can solve complex mathematical problems yet still make fundamental logic errors.

One study suggests that neural networks have slowed down experienced professionals by 19% as they spend more time on code verification and bug fixing.

John David N. Dionisio, a professor of computer science at LMU, advises students to adjust their learning focus. The key skill now is managing AI and meticulously checking its outputs.

As a reminder, in August, Coinbase terminated engineers who refused to utilize artificial intelligence in their work.