Does Learning C and C++ Still Matter in the Age of AI?

Does Learning C and C++ Still Matter in the Age of AI? When I enrolled in my first semester, our very first course was C programming. My first thought was, “C programming? I already studied this in my ICT textbook! What am I going to do with this when we have Python, JavaScript, and so many other high-level languages?” Still, I decided to learn it properly. Later, I had the opportunity to learn C and C++ more deeply through Programming Hero’s Phitron course. And after learning them, I actually felt like thanking my past self for not giving up on them. C is a high-level language, but because it allows us to work close to hardware and gives direct control over memory, it is sometimes described as a middle-level language. What surprised me more was realizing how much C and C++ are still present underneath the technologies we use every day. CPython, the most widely used implementation of Python, is primarily written in C. Important parts of PHP’s runtime are also built with C. Google’s V8 JavaScript engine is written in C++ and powers environments like Chrome and Node.js. C++ also plays a major role in high-performance game development. But the biggest lesson for me was not about where C or C++ is used. Learning them properly helped me build a strong foundation in variables, conditions, loops, functions, data structures, memory, pointers, and algorithmic thinking. Once these fundamentals are clear, learning a new language becomes much easier because you mainly need to learn its syntax and new concepts. And in the age of AI, I think this foundation matters even more. AI can write code for us, but we still need to understand whether that code is correct, why it works, where it might fail, and what needs to be changed. Think of it like riding a bicycle. If you cannot ride a bicycle, performing a stunt with it is impossible. But once you learn the basics, learning to ride a motorcycle becomes much easier. To me, programming fundamentals work the same way. AI will make our work easier and save us time, but understanding the fundamentals will help us use AI better, understand its work, and catch its mistakes. So, instead of underestimating a language because it seems old or basic, focus on the knowledge and thinking it teaches you. Sometimes, the “small” things build the strongest foundation.