Automatic Programming and Education

Automatic programming, as supported by recent language-model based AI systems, potentially allows a new approach to making computation a useful tool for learning, a goal of the Boxer project. This paper shows that the Codex system can be used to support some of the explorations in mathematics for which Boxer has been used. Virtually no knowledge of programming is required. Reflecting on the lessons from this exploration may sharpen the goals we bring to educational computing. What knowledge about computing, as distinct from the ability to creatively use computing, should learners gain?