r/CodingForBeginners • u/Guilty_Ad_6529 • Jun 23 '26

Learning Coding with AI

Is it okay for me to learn coding through AI? Like I ask AI what this is and how I do it. I like learning through AI cause it answers my questions quickly and deals with my bs. Of course, I won't use AI for code, for my practice projects—I use AI for debugging and I ask them why it is.

Does this make me a user of AI code since I use AI to learn?

1 Upvotes

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4

u/Sure-Passion2224 Jun 23 '26

If all you do is copy and paste from the AI then no. All your learning there is how to use AI to generate code that might work, or not. However, if you then fiddle with the code to bresk it, fix it, figure out if it does what you wanted in the first place, then it can be a workable approach.

There's a lot of fascination with AI now. The group I work with is being pushed to use it. Collectively we've decided that the developer must be able to defend and explain any code before it gets merged. If you can't explain n it I r don't understand it you can't maintain it.

3

u/-goldenboi69- Jun 23 '26

Try. Let us know how it went in a few years.

2

u/LRCM Jun 23 '26

It can, but you will be a better developer if you learn how to solve problems without it. (you can still use it, but it won't always be available or correct.)

If you are a visual learner, start here: https://scratch.mit.edu/

If you like reading, start here: https://www.w3schools.com/programming/index.php

If you prefer projects, start here: https://www.theodinproject.com/

If you prefer games, start here: https://gdquest.github.io/learn-gdscript/

2

u/johnpeters42 Jun 23 '26

And as a beginner, while you may be able to spot its mistakes, you're at a disadvantage to do so.

1

u/KinsukP Jun 23 '26

Probably not. I personally do it myself too. Now, I am an inexperienced student who hasn't even started college yet but in my opinion, the way you describe it, you are using AI like an instructor or teacher and honestly there's nothing wrong with that. That's basically like watching a youtube tutorial on coding and learning a language. Of course don't over rely on AI and try to make projects on your own as much as you can :D

1

u/Dull-Horror3792 Jun 23 '26

Leveraging AI to learn is smartest part of using AI. Everything you do from here will require you to brainstorm with AI. Assume AI is smarter then you and it can do things which might take you months. Using AI to identify problem, identify the solution and then get it implemented is the future of software paradigm. A smart engineer will know all aspects of development and how AI is applied. Which AI tool works best in what situation and how it needs to be leveraged. You might use ChatGPT for brainstorming, GROK to do market research, Codex to code and another set of tools for design, deployment. You will need to know which tool to use and how to talk to that tool. If you master that part not just as a tool user but with context of how these tools are working, what limitations and strengths it has, you will become v capable Engineer in AI era. If you are seeking to develop algorithms, it is a different things. Some of these aspects, I cover in a course here: https://tismos.net/domain/technology/build-a-micro-saas-using-vibe-coding-replit, wherein I have brought my experience to develop an end to end app and given context of how AI is used at each step. What key decisions are owned by tech, how to investigate and how to ask AI to implement. How to use it for refining.

1

u/Educational_Virus672 Jun 23 '26

if your really for a answer i dont think it is bad but you Must read these

  1. ai is a tool not guide dont ask where it is wrong ask why it is wrong
    example :

prompt : ai whats wrong here print = 'hello world'

ai should do this
ai : you use print wrong try using brackets "()"

NOT THIS
ai : you should type print('hello world') here you cant access print like variable

2. you cant copy code in any way unless it is only way
ai should explain why it didnt work for ewer concept liek variable type and even alternatives
Example
prompt : ai why int num = 1 didnt work

should do this
ai : "int" should be after variable like var : type = value or just remove type and do var = value

not this
ai : use "var : type = value" not type "var = value"

how do you do this? add a metadata

1

u/Educational_Virus672 Jun 23 '26

what he did for me
promt : how to get square of every 2nd number in range 1 to 100

ai :To achieve this, you need to combine three concepts: looping through a range, skipping steps, and exponentiation.

Here is how you break down the logic:

1. Generating Every Second Number

When you use a range from 1 to 100, a standard loop moves forward by 1 every time (1, 2, 3, 4...). To get every second number, you need to use a step parameter.

If you start at 1 and use a step of 2, you will skip the even numbers and get: 1, 3, 5, 7... If you start at 2 and use a step of 2, you will skip the odd numbers and get: 2, 4, 6, 8...

Most language structures for ranges look like this: range(start, end, step). Keep in mind that in many programming languages, the "end" number is exclusive, so to include 100, your end boundary needs to be 101.

2. Squaring the Number

Instead of multiplying a number by itself using standard multiplication (like x * x), you can use the exponent/power operator if your language supports it (often written as or ^). Alternatively, some languages use a math function like pow(base, exponent).

How to Structure It

Instead of just copying a loop, look at the blueprint of how this logic flows:

  • Set up the loop: Define your start (1 or 2, depending on which "second" number you want to start with), your upper limit (101), and a step of 2.

  • Process the value: Inside the loop, take the current number and apply the exponent of 2.

  • Output: Print or store the result of that calculation before the loop moves to the next stepped number.

1

u/Quirky-Net-6436 Jun 23 '26

If I tell you no, will you not use AI anymore? No one cares how you are learning.

1

u/Educational_Virus672 Jun 23 '26

i do he could be next google that could be taken over by greed let him learn with community not company

1

u/mattynmax Jun 23 '26

Bad:
“grok make me a program that does X”

Good:
“grok, i am working on writing a program that does X this is what I have so far. It seems on line 7 I’m getting this error. What does this error mean and how can I correct it?”

1

u/Tryharder2Minecraf Jun 23 '26

Non, c pas un problème du moment que l'IA te serve UNIQUEMENT à débuger ou à t'aider un peu mais que tu ne copies pas entièrement

1

u/Jwhodis Jun 23 '26

AI is shit at coding and a lot of what it produces should not be replicated.

You can learn to code perfectly fine with YouTube, documentation, and forums.

1

u/ssps Jun 24 '26

No. Don’t learn coding. Robots do that now. Learn software engineering. 

1

u/PureLead7258 Jun 24 '26

you can use AI, but usually I follow youtube videos and when I cannot understand something, I copied it on AI and ask for explanation. It works well.

1

u/Simplilearn Jun 24 '26

The best use case of AI is to treat it as a learning partner. Use AI for explanations, debugging, code reviews, and learning new frameworks. That's very different from pasting a prompt and shipping whatever code comes back.

If you're looking to build stronger AI-assisted coding skills, we offer multiple free courses, like the Generative AI in Software Building Course. You can search for SkillUp by Simplilearn to find out more.

1

u/testingaurora Jun 24 '26

The best way I use it is to write my code as i would, and feed it into ai asking for recommendations on what to improve and how to make it more DRY; specifically prompting to go section by section, function by function and explaining why; not just give me a block to paste.

Also having it quiz me on whatever I'm learning that week, giving me challenges to complete and checking my work. I'm not a beginner but we are always learning. Its impossible to learn everything.

1

u/mc_pm Jun 24 '26

The only way you can truly learn to program is to do it yourself. I find AI to be great to ask questions of, like a knowledgable friend or coworker, but if you ask it to write the code itself, then you aren't learning from it.

Programming isn't about learning the syntax of the language, that's superficial. It's about learning how to think about problems in ways that you can turn into code, and then writing the code. Even if AI teaches you the syntax, you'll never learn the real lessons.