Vibe coding vs AI-assisted development
Updated Oct 26, 2026 · Sources listed at the end
AI-assisted development means using AI to write or change code that you then review, test and could explain to someone else. Vibe coding is the subset where you skip that review and accept the output. Simon Willison draws the line this way: “Vibe coding is not the same thing as writing code with the help of LLMs!”1
Willison’s golden rule
“I won’t commit any code to my repository if I couldn’t explain exactly what it does to somebody else.” If an LLM wrote the code and you reviewed it, tested it and can explain it, that is not vibe coding; it is software development with a tool.1
When each fits
- Vibe coding: low-stakes prototypes and personal tools, where speed matters more than durability. Karpathy described it as fine for “throwaway weekend projects”.2
- AI-assisted development: anything others depend on, especially code that handles data, money or security.
Tools work for both
The same tools serve both styles. What changes is your process: reading diffs, running tests, and using AI code review before merging.
Footnotes
Tools mentioned
- GitHub Copilot: free plan, paid from $10/mo
- Cursor: free plan, paid from $8/mo
- Claude Code: paid from $20/mo