What is vibe coding? Definition, origin and risks

Updated Oct 26, 2026 · Sources listed at the end

Vibe coding is building software by describing what you want to a large language model (LLM) and letting it write the code, often accepting the output without reading it closely and steering with follow-up prompts instead. The term was coined by Andrej Karpathy in February 2025.¹

Where the term comes from

Karpathy described it as a kind of coding where you “fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists”. In the same post he said he “Accept All” always, no longer read the diffs, and that it was “not too bad for throwaway weekend projects”.¹² Merriam-Webster listed the term as “slang & trending” in March 2025, and Collins English Dictionary named it Word of the Year for 2025.¹

What vibe coding is not

Simon Willison argues the label should not cover all AI-assisted programming. His definition: “building software with an LLM without reviewing the code it writes.” If you review, test and can explain the code, he says, that is responsible AI-assisted programming, not vibe coding.²

Why people use it

Advocates say it lets amateur programmers produce software without the usual training. In March 2025 Y Combinator reported that 25% of startups in its Winter 2025 batch had codebases that were 95% AI-generated.¹

The main risks

Critics point to accountability, maintainability and security. Wikipedia’s summary cites a May 2025 report that 170 of 1,645 apps created with Lovable had an issue exposing personal information, and an October 2025 Veracode study that found the security of generated code had not improved as much as its functionality.¹ See is vibe coding safe? for more.

Tools people use for vibe coding

Most vibe coding happens in AI app builders (prompt-to-app platforms) or AI-first editors. Our vibe coding tools list compares them on free plans and starting prices from vendor pages.

Tools mentioned

• Lovable: free plan, paid from $25/mo
• Bolt.new: free plan, paid from $25/mo
• Replit Agent: free plan, paid from $20/mo
• v0: free plan, paid from $30/mo
• Cursor: free plan, paid from $8/mo

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Vibe coding
2. Simon Willison: Not all AI-assisted programming is vibe coding (19 Mar 2025)