Ask HN: Can monkeys be taught to code?

In theory[0] with enough monkeys typing at a keyboard, they will produce the works of Shakespeare.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem

Depends what you mean - and an interesting question.

Imagine a fruit dispenser with buttons that have consequences and can be sequenced.

It's probably possible to create something Scratch-like with that, which allows the monkey to select a sequence of actions via buttons such as:

1) select banana 2) IF you have one banana THEN ADD another 3) IF you have two bananas THEN ADD one more banana 4) move bananas left (toward funnel out to monkey) and drop 'em 5) EXECUTE program

etc

How far can you go with this? Far enough to count as "programming"? Good question! Chimps can execute sequences of actions in the real world, chewing on a stick to make a probe and then sticking it into an ant nest to extract ants to eat, after all.

Yes, and I am proof