What is vibe coding? AI writes the code so developers can think big

What is Vibe Coding?

Vibe coding is a software development approach that replaces traditional coding with conversational instructions and collaboration with generative AI tools. Instead of writing detailed specifications, product managers, domain experts, or anyone with an idea can describe their needs in plain language, letting AI build the software in real time.

How Vibe Coding Changes Development

The focus shifts from automating engineering tasks to transforming how intentions are expressed, reviewed, and refined. This new methodology lowers the barrier to entry for startups and noncoders, boosting developer productivity.

Origins of the Term

The term “vibe coding” was introduced by AI researcher and OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy in early 2025. He shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter):

“There’s a new kind of coding I call ‘vibe coding,’ where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists.”

Impact on Developer Mindset

This concept reflects a growing mindset shift where developers trust AI to handle the mechanics of coding and instead focus on direction, feedback, flow, and overall "vibes."

With advancements in AI models used by tools like Cursor and GitHub Copilot, programming is becoming more of a dialogue with AI rather than manual, line-by-line syntax work.

The code “just works” as long as the prompts and corrections do.

Summary

Vibe coding transforms software creation by enabling natural language collaboration with AI, empowering more people to innovate without deep coding skills.

InfoWorld — 2025-11-05