Lesson 0 / 7 · ~8 minutes
What vibecoding is
(and isn't)
Vibecoding is a way of building software where you say what should exist and an AI agent writes and runs the code. You don't write code — you hold a conversation. The term was popularised by Andrej Karpathy (OpenAI co-founder) in early 2025, and what started as a programmers' toy has since become an everyday working method.
In this relationship, you are the client and the inspector. And that's good news: you can do both without a computer science degree — it's exactly what you do when you order a custom-made kitchen.
The whole principle in one loop
Say what you want. Look at what the AI built — actually open it and try it. Steer it with specific feedback. Repeat until you're happy. That's all there is to it; the rest of this course is the details of doing those three steps well.
What vibecoding is good for
It works brilliantly for websites and landing pages, internal company tools, calculators, prototypes, scripts and automations — things where you can verify the result yourself ("works / doesn't work, calculates correctly / incorrectly").
It's not suited (without experienced oversight) to systems where a mistake costs serious money or endangers health: payments, sensitive personal data, medicine. AI can happily assist professionals there — but not as the only pair of eyes.
Test yourself: myth or reality?
Five claims I hear about vibecoding most often. Click what you think.
"AI writes the whole application from one prompt and it's instantly finished."
The first version is a beginning, not an end. The real work is iteration — and that's exactly what lesson 3 is about.
"I need to know how to program, otherwise I won't build anything with Claude Code."
You don't. Understanding the process helps (files, versions, what a server is) — and that's what this course teaches you.
"I'm responsible for the result — AI needs to be checked."
Exactly. AI is a powerful worker, you're the project boss. You check the result, not every line of code.
"Vibecoding suits everything — even a banking system."
Where a mistake costs serious money or endangers health, AI belongs next to an experienced professional. For websites, tools and prototypes, vibecoding is superb.
"A good brief is half the battle."
Maybe even more than half. That's why a good brief gets a whole lesson (lesson 2) in this course.
Summary
- Vibecoding = you steer the AI through conversation; it writes and runs the code.
- The loop: SAY → LOOK → STEER. Nothing more, nothing less.
- Great for websites, tools, prototypes and automations. Not for critical systems without oversight.
- You're the boss: you brief and you check the result.