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My Question for DeepMind—and Their Powerful Answer

This week at Google I/O 2025, I had the opportunity to ask a question to the DeepMind leadership team during a private Fireside Chat about veterans reskilling and AI. Their response revealed a fundamental shift in how AI could transform career opportunities for military veterans and military spouses transitioning into software engineering. The implications go far beyond just our community at Vets Who Code—it speaks to how AI is reshaping access to technical careers for everyone.

Why This Matters Now

We're living through a technological revolution moving at an unprecedented pace. We see daily new AI breakthroughs, from language models that write complex code to systems that generate entire applications from simple prompts.

At Vets Who Code, we see opportunity where others see disruption. Our veterans bring unique perspectives to the tech industry—battle-tested leadership skills, adaptability under pressure, and an innate understanding of complex systems operations.

As AI reshapes software development, these military-honed skills become increasingly valuable. The real question is: how do we leverage AI to create more pathways for veterans into tech careers?

The Conversation That Changed Everything

During the fireside chat, I posed this question to the DeepMind leadership team:

"My name is Jerome Hardaway from Vets Who Code. I train veterans in software and Google Gemini AI tools. They are quickly changing my industry. So I want to know, how do you all see these resources being shipped to veterans or other creators so that we can help create the next generation of software engineers coming from the military?"

The responses were immediate and revealing.

Mat Velloso, VP of AI Developer Platform at Google DeepMind, leaned in with clear enthusiasm, stating:

"The more we build these tools, the more we make Gemini strong at coding, the more we build tools like Canvas, Codegen, and AI Studio that actually open up the ability to code to more and more people... hopefully this actually does open up, whether it's veterans in the military or a broader range of users, the ability to build and create really interesting software solutions for problems they're seeing in the real world."

Robby Stein, VP of Product of Google Search, followed with a bold observation:

"We're getting to a point where AI is getting so good at creating code that humans are becoming the bottleneck in a way... A lot of the software development tools that exist today were built with the assumption that I'll be writing the code, reviewing the code. Now those assumptions are breaking."

Chris Struhar, VP of Product of Gemini App, clarified that the shift isn't about AI replacing people—it's about magnifying what humans can achieve:

"You're telling me that now a developer can produce millions of lines of code every day sustainably, so their value just went through the roof... We're solving problems we didn't have enough humans on the planet to solve. Now we can."

Logan Kilpatrick offered a more personal reflection:

"I almost quit studying computer science because I was learning C and I was like, this sucks. Now I think about coding and it's 20 times more fun. The ability to create stuff is a nice carrot for people to want to continue to learn how to code."

What This Means for Our Veterans

The DeepMind team's responses revealed something I've observed firsthand: the skills our veterans developed in service aren't being replaced by AI—they're becoming more valuable. When a DeepMind engineer talked about needing humans who can "zoom out" and focus on specs, testing, and strategic oversight rather than line-by-line code review, I immediately thought of our veterans.

Military service teaches exactly this kind of systems thinking. Our veterans understand how to manage complex operations, coordinate teams under pressure, and maintain security protocols—skills that become exponentially more important when AI can generate millions of lines of code daily.

Take the veteran who spent years managing logistics for overseas operations. They already know how to break down complex problems, coordinate multiple moving parts, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Now, with AI handling the routine coding tasks, these organizational and strategic skills become their primary value proposition.

Building Different at Vets Who Code

We're not just adding AI tools to our existing curriculum. We're fundamentally rethinking how we prepare veterans for tech careers based on this new reality.

Our veterans now learn to think like technical product managers from day one. They practice writing specifications, designing system architectures, and leading technical discussions—because these are the skills that matter when AI can handle the implementation details.

We're teaching them to ask better questions: What problem are we solving? How do we measure success? What are the security implications? How does this scale? These are military-trained instincts that translate perfectly to AI-augmented development.

The personal story that Logan shared about nearly quitting computer science while learning C programming resonates deeply. Our veterans don't have to go through that frustration anymore. They can focus on what they're naturally good at—strategic thinking and leadership—while AI handles the syntax and boilerplate code.

The Strategic Advantage

This shift plays to every strength our veterans bring. Their security consciousness becomes invaluable when AI systems need responsible oversight. Their ability to coordinate complex operations translates directly to managing AI-augmented development teams. Their mission-focused mindset ensures they build solutions that actually solve real problems.

We're not training code writers. We're training technical leaders who happen to use code as their medium.

How We're Building the Future

We're not starting from scratch. After ten years and a 90% success rate, we know what works and what doesn't. Now we're leveraging Google Gemini to accelerate everything we've learned.

Our decade of data tells the story: which curriculum modules drive employment outcomes, which teaching methods resonate with military minds, and which skills translate directly to tech careers. Gemini helps us analyze this data and rapidly iterate on our proven framework.

We're systematically removing what's useless—outdated technologies, theoretical concepts that don't translate to real jobs, and busywork that slows down learning. Instead, we're injecting current AI workflows, modern development practices, and the exact skills employers are hiring for today.

The result: we're shipping updated curriculum faster than ever while maintaining our proven track record. Our veterans aren't just learning how to code—they're learning how to build with the tools that will define the next decade of software development.

The Road Ahead 🚀

At Vets Who Code, we're using Google Gemini not just as an AI tool, but as a strategic advantage that's helping us move faster, connect deeper, and scale wider.

Gemini is allowing us to be more dynamic in how we engage with our veteran community. From mentorship to instruction, we're integrating it into our workflow to create better touch points between instructors, mentors, and learners. That means faster feedback, deeper collaboration, and a more personal experience for every veteran and military spouse we support.

It's also helping us accelerate how we update our curriculum. With Gemini, we can iterate in real time—refining lesson plans, injecting current AI workflows, and evolving our program to reflect the realities of today's tech landscape. Our veterans aren't just learning how to code—they're learning how to build with AI from day one.

We're treating Gemini as a key integration point across the features and applications we're building. Whether it's tools that streamline onboarding, AI-powered career readiness modules, or enhanced technical assessments, Gemini is part of the foundation. It's how we're making learning smarter and support systems stronger.

Our endgame is clear: we're building our platform to serve at least 4,000 veterans per year. That's more than Vet Tec supports in an entire year—and we plan to do it with greater speed, accessibility, and community impact.

We're not playing catch-up. We're designing the future of veteran tech empowerment—and Gemini is helping us get there faster.

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Support Vets Who Code

If this story resonates with you, consider supporting Vets Who Code to help more veterans transition into successful tech careers. Your donations can make a significant impact. You can also sponsor us on GitHub to get technical updates and support our mission. Together, we can make a difference.

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