The term vibe coding was first coined by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy. It refers to the process where AI is used to generate code, meaning users only have to think about the correct prompts and desired outcome.
In short, with vibe coding, code is generated according to intuition and natural language prompts, rather than needing to be written manually. According to Karpathy, users can “forget that the code even exists.” And it’s become such a topical phrase that vibe coding was Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2025.
There are two main types of vibe coding: AI code editors that help developers deepen their expertise and browser-based tools where people can build apps without needing advanced technical knowledge.
If you have a small business and a digital presence, vibe coding is worth knowing about. Keep reading to find out more.
What is vibe coding?
Traditionally, building a website, software or an app meant either learning to code and doing it yourself or paying for a developer. One option requires expertise and the other can cost a lot of money, which could hit your business budget.
Vibe coding provides a middle ground, by using AI to generate code by telling it what you want from a piece of technology.
Liam Nelson, technical director for digital marketing brand The Digital Maze, explains: “You describe what you want to an AI in plain English and let it write the code, instead of writing it yourself. It lets non-devs with creative brains actually build their ideas and share a working prototype.”
How does vibe coding work?
Vibe coding is a shift from writing every line of code manually to telling AI what you want to build, then reviewing, refining and improving the output, says Rich Pleeth, chief executive of software firm Finmile.
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He says it means websites can be created faster – writing more code, making more changes and responding to customer needs much more quickly.
For example, if a small business owner wants to launch a website to promote their products or services, they can describe exactly what they want to build, and the AI can interpret this request and generate the underlying code for the style, functionality, and features.
How AI agents help with vibe coding
Rather than you having to find each line of code, an AI agent goes off and does the whole job for you, reading your entire project based on your prompts, running it and fixing any errors you spot.
Nelson says: “For me that’s the difference between a party trick and something you can actually get ready to ship. The catch is simple, the agent does the typing but a human still has to do the judging. Leave that out and you’re just stacking up problems you can’t see yet.”
Your job is to set the brief, watch what the AI agent is doing and pull it back when it heads off down a wrong path.
Paul Clapp, co-founder of digital agency Priority Pixels, says: “The skill shifts from typing speed and syntax memory to clear thinking, good architectural decisions and knowing when something is wrong even when the code compiles.”
In contrast, older AI tools would suggest code and leave you to set it up. Now, an agent reads the codebase, edits the files, runs the tests, reads the error output and tries again.
Clapp outlines: “A task that used to take a developer half a day can be done in 20 minutes.”
The pros and cons of vibe coding
The biggest benefit of vibe coding is speed. You can build a website or test ideas quickly without too much technical expertise and even without hiring a developer, all lowering the barrier to entry. However, the main downside with vibe coding is security.
Chris Sees, founder of business services provider The Hoxton Mix says: “AI-generated code can look finished long before it’s actually production-ready, often glossing over important areas such as error handling, security controls and edge cases.
“The risk is that organisations move projects into production too quickly – or deploy systems that they don’t fully understand – creating technical, operational and security challenges further down the line for businesses to unblock.”
That is why the human touch remains important, and as Clapp adds: “The agencies and developers who’ll win with this are the ones who treat AI output the same way they’d treat code from a junior developer: useful, fast, but requires senior review before it goes near production.”
Best vibe coding tools
The best vibe coding tool depends on your aim but providers include Bolt, Microsoft Copilot, Claude Code, Emergent and Hostinger.
Each option either works alongside developers by providing the code that experts can then build on when creating tools such as a website, or can build apps for users regardless of their technical skills.
Martin Reynolds, chief technology officer at software firm Harness, says: “What both categories have in common is that none of them produces production-ready code without help.
“The app builders are fast to prototype and slow to ship safely. The coding assistants are powerful, but they shift more of the review and validation burden onto developers and their delivery pipelines.
“The question organisations should be asking isn’t just ‘which vibe coding tool?’ – it’s ‘what wraps around it?’ Security scanning, automated testing, governance policies, and release controls aren’t optional extras. In the AI-assisted coding era, they’re the actual product.”
Will AI agents replace developers?
The big question amid the rise of vibe coding is whether developers are still needed if AI agents can do all the coding work anyway. Rather than replacing developers, many believe the role will evolve.
Pleeth says: “The best developers will become more valuable because they can use AI to achieve 10 times more.”
Sees finishes: “The developers who thrive will be those who treat AI as a highly capable junior engineer, delegating repetitive tasks and accelerating delivery, while retaining responsibility for architecture, oversight and technical judgement.
“AI can generate code at remarkable speed, but it still lacks the context and decision-making needed to build and operate complex systems independently. That’s where it needs a developer to direct it.”