Vibe coding

Vibe coding is an approach to producing software by using artificial intelligence (AI), where a person describes a problem in a few natural language sentences as a prompt to a large language model (LLM) tuned for coding. The LLM generates software based on the description, shifting the programmer's role from manual coding to guiding, testing, and refining the AI-generated source code.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Advocates of vibe coding say that it allows even amateur programmers to produce software without the extensive training and skills required for software engineering.^[4] Critics point out a lack of accountability and increased risk of introducing security vulnerabilities in the resulting software. The term was introduced by Andrej Karpathy in February 2025^[2]^[4]^[1] and listed in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the following month as a "slang & trending" term.^[5]

^ ^a ^b Edwards, Benj (2025-03-05). "Will the future of software development run on vibes?". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2025-06-03. The technique, enabled by large language models (LLMs) from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, has attracted attention for potentially lowering the barrier to entry for software creation. But questions remain about whether the approach can reliably produce code suitable for real-world applications, even as tools like Cursor Composer, GitHub Copilot, and Replit Agent make the process increasingly accessible to non-programmers.
^ ^a ^b "What is 'vibe code'? Former Tesla AI director Andrej Karpathy defines a new era in AI-driven development". The Times of India. 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-06-03. Karpathy's "vibe coding" is a recognition of how sophisticated AI systems have evolved. In describing on X (formerly Twitter), he added that LLMs, like the Cursor Composer with Sonnet, are advancing to a degree that nearly eliminates the use of traditional coding mechanisms. Describing his own experience, Karpathy explained how he converses with AI tools almost in a passive manner—merely talking to them and having the AI handle the rest. This method eliminates manually typing code as well as keeping track of all the minute information in the program.
^ Roose, Kevin (February 27, 2025), "Not a Coder? With A.I., Just Having an Idea Can Be Enough.", The New York Times, ISSN 0362-4331, retrieved June 3, 2025, Vibecoding, a term that was popularized by the A.I. researcher Andrej Karpathy, is useful shorthand for the way that today's A.I. tools allow even nontechnical hobbyists to build fully functioning apps and websites, just by typing prompts into a text box. You don't have to know how to code to vibecode — just having an idea, and a little patience, is usually enough. "It's not really coding," Mr. Karpathy wrote this month. "I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy paste stuff, and it mostly works."
^ ^a ^b Chowdhury, Hasan; Mann, Jyoti (2025-02-13). "Silicon Valley's next act: bringing 'vibe coding' to the world". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2025-02-26. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
^ "vibe coding". Slang & Trending. Merriam-Webster. March 8, 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-02. Vibe coding (also written as vibecoding) (Vibecode/Vibecoder) is a recently-coined term for the practice of writing code, making web pages, or creating apps, by just telling an AI program what you want, and letting it create the product for you. In vibe coding the coder does not need to understand how or why the code works, and often will have to accept that a certain number of bugs and glitches will be present. The verb form of the word is vibe code.

[Edwards-2025-1] Edwards, Benj (2025-03-05). "Will the future of software development run on vibes?". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2025-06-03. The technique, enabled by large language models (LLMs) from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, has attracted attention for potentially lowering the barrier to entry for software creation. But questions remain about whether the approach can reliably produce code suitable for real-world applications, even as tools like Cursor Composer, GitHub Copilot, and Replit Agent make the process increasingly accessible to non-programmers.

[The_Times_of_India-2025-2] "What is 'vibe code'? Former Tesla AI director Andrej Karpathy defines a new era in AI-driven development". The Times of India. 2025-03-02. Retrieved 2025-06-03. Karpathy's "vibe coding" is a recognition of how sophisticated AI systems have evolved. In describing on X (formerly Twitter), he added that LLMs, like the Cursor Composer with Sonnet, are advancing to a degree that nearly eliminates the use of traditional coding mechanisms. Describing his own experience, Karpathy explained how he converses with AI tools almost in a passive manner—merely talking to them and having the AI handle the rest. This method eliminates manually typing code as well as keeping track of all the minute information in the program.

[Roose-2025-3] Roose, Kevin (February 27, 2025), "Not a Coder? With A.I., Just Having an Idea Can Be Enough.", The New York Times, ISSN 0362-4331, retrieved June 3, 2025, Vibecoding, a term that was popularized by the A.I. researcher Andrej Karpathy, is useful shorthand for the way that today's A.I. tools allow even nontechnical hobbyists to build fully functioning apps and websites, just by typing prompts into a text box. You don't have to know how to code to vibecode — just having an idea, and a little patience, is usually enough. "It's not really coding," Mr. Karpathy wrote this month. "I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy paste stuff, and it mostly works."

[Chowdhury-2025-4] Chowdhury, Hasan; Mann, Jyoti (2025-02-13). "Silicon Valley's next act: bringing 'vibe coding' to the world". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2025-02-26. Retrieved 2025-03-03.

[merriam-webster-5] "vibe coding". Slang & Trending. Merriam-Webster. March 8, 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-02. Vibe coding (also written as vibecoding) (Vibecode/Vibecoder) is a recently-coined term for the practice of writing code, making web pages, or creating apps, by just telling an AI program what you want, and letting it create the product for you. In vibe coding the coder does not need to understand how or why the code works, and often will have to accept that a certain number of bugs and glitches will be present. The verb form of the word is vibe code.

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