Is "vibe coding" synonymous with using AI code-generation tools now?

I thought vibe coding meant very little direct interaction with the code, mostly telling the LLM what you want and iterating using the LLM. Which is fun and worth trying, but probably not a valid professional tool.

▲

crazygringo 6 days ago | parent | next [-]

I think what happened is that a lot of people started dismissing all LLM code creation as "vibe coding" because those people were anti-LLM, and so the term itself became an easy umbrella pejorative.

And then, more people saw these critics using "vibe coding" to refer to all LLM code creation, and naturally understood it to mean exactly that. Which means the recent articles we've seen about how good vibe coding starts with a requirements file, then tests that fail, then tests that pass, etc.

Like so many terms that started out being used pejoratively, vibe coding got reclaimed. And it just sounds cool.

Also because we don't really have any other good memorable term for describing code built entirely with LLM's from the ground up, separate from mere autocomplete AI or using LLM's to work on established codebases.

	▲	actsasbuffoon 6 days ago \| parent [-]
		“Agentic coding” is probably more accurate, though many people (fairly) find the term “Agentic” to be buzz-wordy and obnoxious. I’m willing to vibe code a spike project. That is to say, I want to see how well some new tool or library works, so I’ll tell the LLM to build a proof of concept, and then I’ll study that and see how I feel about it. Then I throw it away and build the real version with more care and attention.

▲

drooby 6 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I have "vibe coded" a few internal tools now that are very low risk in terms of negative business impact but nonetheless valuable for our team's efficiency.

E.g one tool packages a debug build of an iOS simulator app with various metadata and uploads it to a specified location.

Another tool spits out my team's github velocity metrics.

These were relatively small scripting apps, that yes, I code reviewed and checked for security issues.

I don't see why this wouldn't be a valid professional tool? It's working well, saves me time, is fun, and safe (assuming proper code review, and LLM tool usage).

With these little scripts it creates it's actually pretty quick to validate their safety and efficacy. They're like validating NP problems.

	▲	actsasbuffoon 6 days ago \| parent [-]
		The original definition of vibe coding meant that you just let the agent write everything, and if it works then you commit it. Your code review and security check turned this from vibe coding into something else. This is complicated by the fact that some people use “vibe coding” to mean any kind of LLM-assisted coding.

▲

biglyburrito 6 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

My personal definition of "vibe coding" is when a developer delegates -- abdicates, really -- responsibility for understanding & testing what AI-generated code is doing and/or how that result is achieved. I consider it something that's separate from & inferior to using AI as a development tool.

▲

ladyprestor 6 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yeah, for some reason the term has been used interchangeably for a while, which is making it very hard to have a conversation about it since many people think vibe coding is just using AI to assist you.

From Karpathy's original post I understood it to be what you're describing. It is getting confusing.

	▲	bonoboTP 6 days ago \| parent [-]
		The term sounds funny and quirky, so got overused. Also simply the term pushes emotional buttons on a lot of people so it's good for clickbait.

▲

flashgordon 6 days ago | parent | prev [-]

I think there is actually a pressure to show thst you are using AI (stories of ceos firing employees who supposedly did not "embrace" ai). So people are over attributing to AI. Though originally VC was meant to be infinite monkey style button smashing, people are attributing to VC just to avoid the cross hairs.