Is Prompting the New Programming? Reflections from SAP Build Code and GenAI Tools

Recently, I tried out the new SAP Build Code demo, now integrated with Joule. As someone with experience in SAP programming and some hands-on exposure to generative AI tools, I couldn’t help but think:

Is prompting becoming the new programming?

Generative AI can now create impressive amounts of code instantly—but there’s a catch. The quality of your output depends entirely on the quality of your prompt. It has to be precise, detailed, and structured—very much like how we write specifications in development projects.

Let me give you an example.

In the demo, I was working with concepts like association, composition, and managed scenarios. These aren’t terms that make immediate sense to non-programmers. You’ll notice that a good prompt describing them needs a developer’s understanding. So even though tools claim “no-code” or “low-code,” I feel the reality is slightly different: you still need programming knowledge—just in a new form.

To be fair, this SAP Build Code demo is meant for developers. But the general notion that “anyone” can generate production-grade code with zero programming background doesn’t fully hold up—at least not yet.

That said, there are clear benefits. The tool generates a lot of boilerplate code instantly. I personally don’t work with Node.js, but when the tool generated it from my prompt, I could still understand what was happening. Syntax isn’t a blocker anymore.