Simon Willison comments: AI is ruining my computer science degree
Simon Willison commented on the Hacker News discussion "AI is ruining my computer science degree," arguing that AI clearly requires educators to change how they teach and assess, but that the form of teaching that effectively uses these tools remains extremely unclear. He pointed out that assessment cycles are measured in years, and new teaching mechanisms tried today can only be judged after the current students graduate in 3-6 years, meaning students have effectively become test subjects for unproven new teaching methods.
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#smallhead
3rd November 2026
Comment My comment on AI is destroying my CS degree — Hacker News
I don't envy educators right now.
AI clearly means you need to change how you teach and evaluate students. We are only a few years in though, and it's still extremely unclear what effective teaching with these tools looks like.
The worst part is that the evaluation loop is measured in multiple years! If you start trying some new education mechanism today you won't get a robust idea of how well it works until your current cohort graduate in 3-6 years time.
Students effectively all become guinea pigs for untested new ways of learning and teaching.
Posted 3rd November 2026 at 4:42 pm
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This is a beat by Simon Willison, posted on 3rd November 2026.