Half of intro programming students fail after leaning on AI, professor says they don't know they don't understand
lemire · x · 2026-09-06
Computer scientist Daniel Lemire shares a cautionary observation: asking questions and seeking deeper understanding is the real superpower, and the biggest problem is what you believe you understand but don't.
- Over the past six months, roughly 50% of students in his school's introductory programming course failed — they used AI to do their preparation but couldn't answer simple questions when a human asked.
- Some even formally appealed, insisting they understood the material. Lemire stresses they aren't lying: they genuinely think they know.
- The core point: AI makes completion easy, but it cannot build understanding for you — being able to explain what you've heard, seen, and read is what counts as real learning.
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