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What is vibe coding? Definition, meaning and risks
Vibe coding is a way of building software by describing what you want to an AI, in everyday language, and accepting the code it produces without reading or understanding it. The term was coined by researcher Andrej Karpathy in February 2025; it suits rapid prototyping, much less applications intended for production.
On 2 February 2025, Andrej Karpathy, OpenAI co-founder and former head of AI at Tesla, described on X "a new kind of coding": he talks to a coding assistant, accepts all proposed changes without reading the diffs, pastes error messages back as they are and lets the code grow beyond his comprehension. He himself reserved the practice for throwaway weekend projects. The term spread very quickly; Collins Dictionary named it its word of the year 2025, on 6 November 2025. In French, one finds "programmation à l'intuition" or "codage d'ambiance", but the English term dominates. Developer Simon Willison gave the most useful definition (19 March 2025): building software with an LLM without reviewing the code it writes. In his view, a developer who reviews, tests and can explain every line is doing AI-assisted programming, not vibe coding. The distinction matters, because unreviewed code inherits the model's weaknesses. The Veracode report published on 30 July 2025, which tested over 100 models, found that 45% of generated code samples failed security tests and introduced an OWASP Top 10 vulnerability.
Concrete example
Illustrative case (fictitious company). The marketing manager of a 35-employee cosmetics SME in Grasse wants a skincare routine simulator for her website. With no developer available, she describes the tool to a coding assistant and gets a working prototype in one afternoon, which she shows to the management committee. The prototype is used to validate the idea with ten customers. Before going live, a contractor reviews the code: he finds an API key written in clear text in the page and a form that stores email addresses without consent. The prototype saved three weeks of scoping; the published version was rebuilt by a professional.
Comparison
| Criterion | Vibe coding | AI-assisted development | Traditional development |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who writes the code | The AI, without review | The AI and the developer, with review | The developer |
| Skill required | Knowing how to describe the need | Knowing how to program and review | Knowing how to program |
| Speed for a prototype | Very fast (hours) | Fast (days) | Slower (weeks) |
| Security and maintenance | Not guaranteed | Under control with tests and review | Under control with tests and review |
| Recommended use | Prototype, personal tool, idea test | Production applications | Critical or highly specific components |
FAQ
What is vibe coding?
It is building an application by describing it to an AI in everyday language, then accepting the code produced without reading it. You judge the result by use ("does it work or not") rather than by inspecting the code. The term comes from Andrej Karpathy, in February 2025.
What does vibe coding mean in French?
There is no official translation. You may see "programmation à l'intuition" or "codage d'ambiance", but the English term remains by far the most used, including in the French press.
What is the difference between vibe coding and AI-assisted development?
It all comes down to review. A developer who uses AI but reviews, tests and understands every change is doing AI-assisted development. Vibe coding accepts the code without reading it. The same tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Lovable) serve both practices.
Can you vibe code with Claude?
Yes. Claude, through the chat interface or through Claude Code, is one of the most widely used models to generate applications from a description. Karpathy himself cited a Sonnet model in his original post. The tool does not change the key point: whether or not the code is reviewed.
What are the risks of vibe coding for a company?
Three main risks: security (Veracode found flaws in 45% of generated code samples in 2025), technical debt (code nobody understands is costly to evolve) and maintenance (the application depends on the person who generated it). These risks are low for a prototype, high in production.
What is "vibe coding fatigue"?
The phrase describes the weariness of developers and teams facing the limits of vibe coding: endless iterations to fix errors the AI reintroduces, code that is hard to take over, and excessive volumes of generated code to review. It pushes teams back towards assisted but reviewed programming.
See also
Further reading
Not all AI-assisted programming is vibe coding, Simon Willison (the reference distinction)
Sources
- Andrej Karpathy, post on X introducing the term "vibe coding", 2 February 2025. https://x.com/karpathy/status/1886192184808149383
- Collins' Word of the Year 2025: AI meets authenticity as society shifts, Collins Dictionary, 6 November 2025. https://blog.collinsdictionary.com/language-lovers/collins-word-of-the-year-2025-ai-meets-authenticity-as-society-shifts/
- 2025 GenAI Code Security Report, Veracode, 30 July 2025. https://www.veracode.com/blog/genai-code-security-report/
- Not all AI-assisted programming is vibe coding (but vibe coding rocks), Simon Willison, 19 March 2025. https://simonwillison.net/2025/Mar/19/vibe-coding/