By Juliana Kaplan
Publication Date: 2026-05-31 08:49:00
Every time I see someone opening ChatGPT on the subway or in the supermarket, I feel a twinge of fear. Certainly our fundamental questions can be answered with a little thought or a search that produces information that we can critically evaluate.
Most evidence suggests that I’m simply behind the times. About a third of Americans interact with AI several times a week. Many people I respect are using it in cool and interesting ways, and the fundamental use of AI has become a fact.
When I was assigned to work on a project about the rise of vibe coding, where non-programmers use AI programs to build apps, I had the same skepticism. What I discovered instead was a group of Vibe programmers of all ages and professions having a quaint, fun time — and a vision of how AI could meaningfully improve the lives of ordinary people. Rather than being a source of brain rot or an all-conquering vision of a new economic world order, vibe coding seemed more reminiscent of…
