Vibe coding with AI: Build faster, think deeper

What happens when AI meets flow state?

Imagine this: you’re deep into coding. Your brain is fully locked in. You’re solving real problems. Not just ticking off Jira tickets, not fighting meetings or Slack threads. You’re building for hours. That’s vibe coding, and now, with AI tools in your corner, it’s taking things to the next level, like coding on steroids.

This article explores what vibe coding with AI actually is, how developers can use it in real life, what risks it brings, and which tools are worth your time.

What is vibe coding with AI (and why it matters)?

Originally coined by Andrej Karpathy (ex‑OpenAI, Tesla AI) in early 2025, vibe coding is “fast, improvisational, collaborative” AI‑assisted dev, where you prompt the LLM with plain English and accept code liberally — staying in that flow zone 

“Fully giving in to the vibes… forget that the code even exists,” 
— Andrej Karpathy, ex‑OpenAI, Tesla AI.

Vibe coding is that mythical zone where things just click. It’s not tied to your sprint. It’s not measured in story points. It’s when developers get the mental space to design, build, refactor, and iterate without constant interruptions.

And here’s the truth — most teams don’t protect that space. Developers are busy doing “work about work,” not actual problem-solving. Vibe coding is the antidote to shallow work — and AI just made it more powerful.

So, what is vibe coding with AI?

It’s the new era of software development where developers co-create with AI tools — not to replace their thinking, but to enhance it.

Think of AI as your pair programmer who doesn’t need coffee breaks:

• You write a function, AI improves it.
• You sketch a rough architecture, AI fills in the blanks.
• You hit a bug, AI suggests a fix faster than Stack Overflow.

But the magic isn’t just in speed. It’s in staying in the zone. With AI handling boilerplate, syntax, and documentation, you get to stay focused on logic, structure, and systems thinking.

“AI allows software engineers to reach a magic flow state… automate repetitive tasks so you can focus entirely on solving problems.”
— GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke at The MAD Podcast with Matt Turck — The AI Coding Gold Rush, Vibe Coding & Cursor, episode.

Real examples of vibe coding with AI

According to a recent Y Combinator report, 25% of new startups in the Winter 2025 batch had codebases that were 95% AI-generated. Wow! These teams embraced vibe coding from day one — using tools like GitHub Copilot and Gemini to ship MVPs in days, not weeks. It’s a clear sign that AI isn’t just helping developers work faster — it’s changing how modern software is born.

It’s not just startups. A 2025 report in the Wall Street Journal showed that enterprises like Vanguard and Choice Hotels are adopting vibe coding workflows, using AI tools to speed up prototyping and automate repetitive development tasks. While results include up to 40% faster delivery, the same report emphasized the need for strong oversight, governance, and human validation to keep things safe and scalable.

Here’s how engineers are already doing it:

• At Revolgy,

  • AWS lead Tomáš K. uses AI tools to quickly generate HTML and presentation layers for customer demos. "It’s great for visual mockups and simple reports," he says — especially when you’re live on a call and need something fast. Download his html Onboarding Checklist Tracker or Compensation calculator. "The code might be bad, but it works pretty well for me and I built it in a few minutes."
  • Others, like David F. (Enterprise and Security team), go further: "I’ve used Gemini for GAM scripting, Xcode/macOS app development, and Python projects.” That range — from web to native to backend — shows how AI tools are becoming flexible companions, not just autocomplete toys.
  • Štěpán Kaiser from our Remāngu gaming team is using all kinds of AI products to test and validate value propositions quickly. 
• Refactoring legacy code with GitHub Copilot or CodeWhisperer while maintaining flow
• Generating unit tests instantly without breaking momentum
• Writing documentation or READMEs from context, not from scratch
• Designing cloud infrastructure using natural language in Cloud Console
• Debugging in real time with inline suggestions from tools like Codeium or Cursor. You don’t lose time tabbing out. You stay in your IDE. The AI works with you, not around you. 

• Explore vibe coding communities in Reddit’s r/vibecoding 

• Devin AI (Cognition Labs) — Autonomous AI “developer” that codes, debugs, and even self‑plans. CEO Scott Wu (IOI medalist and founder) says: "Devin boosts developer creative work by offloading rote tasks". 
• MenuGen by Karpathy is a prompt-driven web app generated via vibe code and shipped within hours. That flow energy is exactly what he meant. 

• Pieter Levels (indie hacker) built a multiplayer flight simulator in three hours using AI — then monetized it to $50k/month: proof that vibe coding can turn ideas into revenue fast.

• Many of our engineers use Gemini for Google Workspace to generate quick visual prototypes or automate small internal tasks like report formatting, code cleanup, or even drafting documentation

Top tools for AI-powered vibe coding

Here’s what developers are currently loving:

These tools aren’t just autocomplete on steroids. They reduce friction. And less friction = deeper flow = better software.

Where vibe coding fits in the AI development landscape

A May 2025 review published on ArXiv outlined two emerging styles of AI-driven software creation: vibe coding, where a human prompts an AI and iterates manually, and agentic coding, where autonomous AI agents plan and execute tasks without step-by-step guidance.

Vibe coding is fast and improvisational and often better suited for prototyping, UI building, or “weekend” projects.

Agentic systems, on the other hand, are designed for complex workflows, continuous integration, or scaling production environments. Most teams today live somewhere in between — but understanding the difference helps clarify what vibe coding isn’t: a silver bullet for enterprise-scale engineering.

Risks of vibe coding with AI

Let’s keep it real — AI is powerful, but not magic. 

Recently, a developer working with Replit’s AI environment lost an entire project when the AI bot unknowingly wiped their database — highlighting how automated “vibe code” can override human intent and fail without adequate safeguards. 

Stanford AI veteran Andrew Ng criticized the term “vibe coding” for downplaying the deep expertise and mental effort required — even while he supports AI-assisted development — emphasizing that coding literacy remains essential.

Here’s what to watch out for:

• Overtrusting AI suggestions: They might be syntactically right and logically wrong.

• Security risks: Some tools can leak sensitive code or introduce vulnerabilities.

• Skill atrophy: Letting AI write everything = becoming a prompt typist, not a problem solver.

• Bias in generated code: AI can replicate outdated or unsafe patterns if you’re not paying attention.

• Lack of testing: AI assistants might lead you to deploy fragile code that doesn’t scale

The golden rule? AI helps you code faster, but you’re still the engineer.

When vibe coding skips architecture and testing

One of the most common criticisms of vibe coding is that it often skips over the foundational layers of software development, especially architecture and testing. When you’re in a flow state, assisted by AI tools like Copilot, Gemini, or Cursor, it’s easy to prioritize speed and instant feedback over long-term structure. You prompt, the AI generates, you tweak, and move on.

But skipping upfront architectural thinking — how components interact, how data flows, what’s reusable — leads to fragile code that doesn’t scale. What starts as “just a quick prototype” can quickly turn into the actual product, with no one stopping to ask if it was built to last.

Testing suffers in the same way. AI rarely writes full test coverage unless explicitly prompted, and even then, the quality can be questionable. Developers vibing with AI often move too quickly to stop and write unit or integration tests, assuming that “if it runs, it’s fine.” But without test harnesses, edge-case validation, and security checks, you’re left with a product that works only in the happy path — until it doesn’t.

As some engineers put it bluntly: “vibe code works like magic until it’s in production.” That’s why even the most enthusiastic adopters of AI-powered coding stress one thing: vibe is great for speed, but it needs structure and validation to scale.

⚠️ Red flag: If your AI-generated code hasn’t been reviewed, tested, or thought through architecturally — you’re not building software, you’re building tech debt. Ask us for security review, we can solve that.

Benefits of vibe coding with AI (if you do it right)

• Faster prototyping and experimentation
• Less mental fatigue on repetitive tasks
• More time to think, solve, and build
• Cleaner commits, better documentation
• Flow state without breaks or distractions

Oh, and your team might actually enjoy coding again. That helps too.

Should your team adopt vibe coding with AI?

Definitely! If you want to enable vibe coding with AI in your team, here’s the checklist:

1. Use AI-native dev environments (like Cursor, Replit, or cloud-based IDEs)

2. Set team-wide best practices for secure, ethical AI usage

3. Automate the boring stuff (testing, deployment, infra setup)

4. Block deep work time — 2–4 hour chunks, no meetings, airplane mode

5. Let engineers choose tools that suit their stack and workflow, and give them usage guidelines

6. Don’t over-process creativity — trust, review, iterate, debug, and all over again

7. Centralize validation — automated tests, reviews, and security is a must before shipping

At Revolgy, we help teams integrate AI tools into secure, production-grade workflows — from fast MVPs to scalable cloud-native platforms. Explore our cloud engineering solutions to see how we support real-world delivery.

Final thought: AI gives you a superpower

AI won’t replace great developers, not yet. But it will change how we build.

The future isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter, with the right mix of human creativity and machine speed. Vibe coding with AI is how we get there — focused, flexible, and actually fun.

Curious how vibe coding fits into your cloud strategy?

Our engineers can help you implement AI-assisted workflows that balance speed, security, and scale. At Revolgy, we help engineering teams create environments where AI tools, cloud-native infra, and developer experience aren’t buzzwords — they’re part of the build process. Talk to us and solve your challenges today.