Vibe coding @ CoCreate Conference

At the 2025 Design CoCreate Conference in San Francisco—a premier gathering of designers, creators, and founders—I shared a talk titled “Trust the Vibe (Sometimes)”, exploring the future of software development in the age of generative AI.

In a room buzzing with creative energy, we discussed how traditional programming has evolved—from punch cards and machine code to structured languages and low-code frameworks—and how we’re now entering a new phase: “vibe coding.” It’s an emerging style where developers prototype software by prompting AI, often skipping formal architecture to go straight from idea to artifact.

Through a live example (building a game of tic-tac-toe from scratch with a single prompt), I demonstrated how AI can now infer design, structure, logic, and user experience—all from natural language. This showcased the growing potential of AI as a “new compiler” that bridges intention and implementation.

But the talk wasn’t all optimism. I addressed the bear case too: concerns around code quality, security vulnerabilities, legal liabilities, and the reproducibility of AI-generated code. I laid out a framework for knowing when to trust the vibe—AI is excellent for prototyping and writing tests—but emphasized its limitations in core production development.

The session ended with practical tips on unblocking yourself when AI gets stuck, including restarting chats, simplifying instructions, and validating AI understanding through targeted questions.

As AI continues to reshape our workflows, “Trust the Vibe (Sometimes)” is a mindset shift—creative, cautious, and collaborative.