Artificial Intelligence in Programming Education: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

A wave of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has swept through society, driven largely by advances in Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs). Education is not immune to this phenomenon, and its impact on teaching is becoming increasingly evident, regardless of teachers’ stances on the matter. Many students are already using AI tools in their assignments, making it imperative for educators to take action to guide AI usage and turn potential risks into opportunities. In the field of programming education, this scenario is particularly compelling. A diverse ecosystem of tools is already available, and while some documented experiences of AI integration already exist, the topic remains in its early stages. This ongoing study is exploratory in nature and focuses on assessing the perspectives of programming educators. As part of this assessment, a survey was conducted in addition to a literature review, both are described in this article. The survey results indicate, among other findings, that 69.23 % of responde ts already use AI-based tools for teaching-related tasks, such as lesson preparation. At the same time, 73 % believe that integrating AI-based tools requires a significant change in how their subject is taught.