Vibe coding
Building software by describing what you want in plain language and letting an AI write the actual code.
Vibe coding is what happens when you stop writing code and start describing the result. You type something like “a booking page where customers pick a slot and get a confirmation email”, and the AI produces the working software behind it. The term caught on in 2025 and stuck, partly because it is a bit cheeky: you are describing the vibe, and the machine handles the syntax.
It genuinely lowers the barrier. Designers, founders, marketers and small business owners can now build things that used to require hiring a developer. The honest caveat is that getting something to run and getting something safe to hold customer data are different jobs. The generated code still has to be tested, secured and maintained, and that part has not become easier. Think of the output as a first draft that happens to work, not as finished software. Tools in this category include Lovable, Replit and Cursor.