Google CEO Sundar Pichai has spoken about vibe coding, the fresh new term that is trending in Silicon Valley lately. At a time when advanced coding is need of the hour for furthering artificial intelligence, Pichai says that the trend is making the process “so much more enjoyable” and approachable for non-technical users.
In a recent interview on the Google for Developers podcast with Logan Kilpatrick, Pichai talked about the concept of vibe coding – a phrase originally coined by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy. “It’s making coding so much more enjoyable,” Pichai said. “Things are getting more approachable, it’s getting exciting again, and the amazing thing is, it’s only going to get better.”
What is Vibe Coding?
Vibe coding refers to the practice of people casually describing their project goals in simple, natural language to an AI-powered platform, such as Google’s AI Studio, OpenAI Codex, or Cursor. The AI then translates this description into functional software code. It allows individuals without a deep technical background to conceptualise and build apps and websites, opening the door for non-tech workers to create IT projects.
Pichai highlighted that this shift in the coding culture empowers workers to visualise ideas directly rather than just describing them to an engineer. “In the past, you would have described it,” he noted. “Now, maybe you’re kind of vibe coding it a little bit and showing it to people.”
Google has publicly leaned into the concept, announcing that its latest Gemini 3 model is the “best vibe coding model ever,” with a focus on enhancing the aesthetic quality of AI-generated apps.
Vibe coding is such a notable thing that Collins Dictionary chose it as its word of the year for 2025.
AI’s growing role in software development
The trend is rapidly being integrated into major tech companies’ internal workflows to accelerate development speed. Pichai noted that over 25 per cent of new code at Google is now being written with the help of AI, while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has previously stated that AI is contributing to as much as 30 per cent of his company’s code.
Pichai expects the trend to only grow stronger as AI models improve. “It’s both amazing to see, and it’s the worst it will ever be,” he said, suggesting the current capabilities are just the beginning.
However, the Google chief also sounded a note of caution, warning that developers working on large, complex codebases, where security and correctness are paramount, must still exercise caution regarding handing over too much control to AI.
