“Vibe Coding” is an emerging term in software development, often described as an approach that heavily relies on Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), to generate functional code.

The term was coined by AI researcher Andrej Karpathy in early 2025.

Here are the key characteristics of Vibe Coding:

  • Natural Language Interaction: Instead of writing code line-by-line, the user describes the desired outcome, feature, or application in plain language (the “vibe”) to the AI assistant.
  • AI-Driven Generation: The AI interprets the high-level description and generates the necessary code, often for an entire function, module, or even a simple app.
  • Focus on Outcome and Iteration: The user’s primary role shifts from manual coding to guiding, testing, and refining the AI’s output through conversational feedback (e.g., “That works, but add error handling,” or “Make the button blue”).
  • Minimizing Code Review (in its “Pure” Form): In its most exploratory sense, as originally described, the user might “fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists,” focusing on whether the application works without scrutinizing the underlying code.
  • Accessibility: It lowers the barrier to entry, allowing people with limited programming experience to create functional prototypes and tools much faster.

In a professional setting, it often refers to a highly efficient form of AI-assisted development, where the developer uses the AI as a powerful pair programmer to accelerate tasks, while still reviewing, testing, and taking ownership of the final code.