I think it’s inevitable as AI becomes more powerful and more readily available. It’s a new way for people to think about problems and solutions at work.
Is it always good? No. Is it happening? Yes.
I’ve been working on an open-source platform called Pando (https://github.com/trypando/pando) to help provide a safer outlet for these internal apps.
I don’t think it’s realistic to suppress these apps, so there should be something to point users/employees to.
- In a powerline construction company, some people (non-devs) vibe-coding internal apps to help with the planification of the construction, like connecting to the land register automatically and mailing all the people on the path of the new powerline.
- An industrial company where they vibe coded an internal social network.
In both cases the apps are a bit rough on the edges, but they work and people are happy.
I really think we will see more and more arbitrage between buying and vibe-building.
Mailing everyone along the path of a new powerline straight from the land register is such a specific little tool. Does anyone know who fixes these apps when they break, the person who built it or somebody in IT?
I have heard of non-engineering folks vibe-coding dashboards/apps and deploying them in god knows what way - all with the support of management. Code is now cheap. Those with good engineering teams will be able to rein it in. Everyone else will be left with heaps of broken or (worse) wrong code. Business or life critical decisions will be made on that. When it’s wrong, do we blame the vibe coder?
This already exists in the form of Excel spreadsheets with macros that go beyond the comprehension of any one person, and so will likely occupy the same niche, with some vibe-coded slop that's deemed useful being assigned to engineers to clean up and maintain.
Honestly, this is a really good step-up for a lot of businesses.
I used the Excel example the other day. What Excel gave us is a tool that was simple enough that people without a lot of technical expertise could wield it in anger, and so folks who have the domain expertise can do something useful with it.
It’s easy to look down on it as fragile, ugly, insecure or whatever, but by and large it works for solving people’s problems.
I see vibe coding the same way. There’s going to be a lot of shit, just like there’s a lot of shit spreadsheets, but I also think there’s going to be a lot of itch scratching.
I can affirm that I'm seeing vibe-coded dashboards designed to ingest and run on top of Excel spreadsheets full of macros, VBA, and "Excel Scripts" interlinks.
I... Cannot call this a step up. They're expanding, not replacing.
The problem is design is a skill for humans by humans. It gets neglected beyond AI's initial rounded corners, stock buttons and forms.
If AI nails design, it's by accident, not because it thought through design strategies relative to business needs, target audience, or any number of other factors.
Unlike its excellent coding skills, AI can't judge whether your eagerly generated features should be scaled back or omitted because of where this "app thing" is placed relative to other "app things".
AI: "You're thinking the right way. Leaderboard now added. Would you like staff to receive regular emails with updates on their leaderboard position?"
I think it’s inevitable as AI becomes more powerful and more readily available. It’s a new way for people to think about problems and solutions at work.
Is it always good? No. Is it happening? Yes.
I’ve been working on an open-source platform called Pando (https://github.com/trypando/pando) to help provide a safer outlet for these internal apps.
I don’t think it’s realistic to suppress these apps, so there should be something to point users/employees to.
I hear that all around me. Two examples:
- In a powerline construction company, some people (non-devs) vibe-coding internal apps to help with the planification of the construction, like connecting to the land register automatically and mailing all the people on the path of the new powerline. - An industrial company where they vibe coded an internal social network.
In both cases the apps are a bit rough on the edges, but they work and people are happy. I really think we will see more and more arbitrage between buying and vibe-building.
Mailing everyone along the path of a new powerline straight from the land register is such a specific little tool. Does anyone know who fixes these apps when they break, the person who built it or somebody in IT?
I have heard of non-engineering folks vibe-coding dashboards/apps and deploying them in god knows what way - all with the support of management. Code is now cheap. Those with good engineering teams will be able to rein it in. Everyone else will be left with heaps of broken or (worse) wrong code. Business or life critical decisions will be made on that. When it’s wrong, do we blame the vibe coder?
This already exists in the form of Excel spreadsheets with macros that go beyond the comprehension of any one person, and so will likely occupy the same niche, with some vibe-coded slop that's deemed useful being assigned to engineers to clean up and maintain.
Honestly, this is a really good step-up for a lot of businesses.
I used the Excel example the other day. What Excel gave us is a tool that was simple enough that people without a lot of technical expertise could wield it in anger, and so folks who have the domain expertise can do something useful with it.
It’s easy to look down on it as fragile, ugly, insecure or whatever, but by and large it works for solving people’s problems.
I see vibe coding the same way. There’s going to be a lot of shit, just like there’s a lot of shit spreadsheets, but I also think there’s going to be a lot of itch scratching.
I can affirm that I'm seeing vibe-coded dashboards designed to ingest and run on top of Excel spreadsheets full of macros, VBA, and "Excel Scripts" interlinks.
I... Cannot call this a step up. They're expanding, not replacing.
Are you building one? What are you building? Why?
Seems to be a paid subscriber article?
The problem is design is a skill for humans by humans. It gets neglected beyond AI's initial rounded corners, stock buttons and forms.
If AI nails design, it's by accident, not because it thought through design strategies relative to business needs, target audience, or any number of other factors.
Unlike its excellent coding skills, AI can't judge whether your eagerly generated features should be scaled back or omitted because of where this "app thing" is placed relative to other "app things".
AI: "You're thinking the right way. Leaderboard now added. Would you like staff to receive regular emails with updates on their leaderboard position?"