Have you been hearing about "vibe coding" for a few months without really knowing what it is? You are not alone. The expression has become established in the tech world as the new way to design software: you describe the application you envision, and artificial intelligence automatically generates the code. Goodbye syntax, hello conversation.
This isn't just a gadget for programmers in a hurry. Entire platforms are being built around this promising approach. to open up development to an entire generation of creators without a computer background. On the other hand, this revolution raises questions about the quality, security and even the future of the developer profession.
Vibe coding, what is it?
Le vibe coding relies on the use of a large language model You write a prompt describing your need, the model generates the program, and then you test it, correct it, or add to it with new prompts. The unique feature? You accept the code "as is" without going through a line-by-line review; your evaluation criteria are the feeling ("vibe") and the functional result.
The term was coined in 2025 by Andrew Karpathy, co-founder of OpenAI and former head of AI at Tesla. The idea quickly gained popularity: the American dictionary Merriam-Webster incorporated the expression as early as March 2025, then the Collins English Dictionary It's been hailed as the word of the year. I'm not sure it will appear in French-language dictionaries anytime soon… but perhaps its French translation: 'programming by feeling'… who knows.
In practice, the vibe coding It relies on agents like ChatGPT or Claude, capable not only of writing code but also of debugging it, generating tests, and explaining their choices. The user focuses on the functional clarity of their request rather than on JavaScript or Python syntax.
Is vibe coding really new?
From a technical standpoint, code autocompletion has existed for years; however, the shift has occurred when the models were able to produce complete applications starting from a simple conversation. It is in 2025 that the phenomenon changes scale:
- February 2025: the term vibe coding made its appearance on X and at several AI conferences.
- Spring 2025: Merriam-Webster observes a spike in searches corresponding to the expression.
- 2026: startups like Emergent ou loveable announce nine-figure revenues and are recruiting vibe coders with all your might.
So it's not just a passing fad. FlightStorySteven Bartlett's media agency, Anthropic, already values skills when recruiting. Major AI platforms (Anthropic, Google, Apple, and Microsoft, among others) see this as a powerful lever for expanding their market.
What are the advantages for creators… and what are the limitations?
The success of vibe coding This can be explained by several benefits:
- Increased accessibility
No need to master a programming language : a communicator, a designer or a marketer can transform an idea into a functional prototype in a few hours. - Speed to market
Iterations happen at the speed of a discussion, not a traditional development sprint. Startups gain valuable time to test their value proposition. - Reduced entry cost
Where it used to be necessary to recruit a team, a solo creator can now launch their application and raise funds on an MVP obtained for a fraction of the price.
However, there's another side to the coin:
- Code quality : the result may work but be fragile, difficult to maintain or riddled with obscure dependencies.
- Safety : obvious flaws go unnoticed without human auditing.
- Technical debt "by proxy" : entrusting architectural choices to a model can create a judgment debt which we pay for later in costly corrections.
Teams that adopt the vibe coding They therefore benefit from implementing a human review a posteriori, if only to validate GDPR compliance and scalability.
Le vibe coding It's not a magic wand, but it reshuffles the cards: Ideas matter more than syntactic mastery.By intelligently leveraging these tools and maintaining a critical focus on security and maintainability, you can accelerate your projects while minimizing risks. One thing is certain: the conversation between humans and AI is only just beginning, and it's in your best interest to participate today.
