Vibe Coding for Students: Unlocking Your Creativity With AI

Imagine building an app, designing a game, or launching a business—all without writing a single line of code. Thanks to AI, you can.

While AI-assisted coding isn't new, recent advances have dramatically expanded what's possible with limited human input. Terms like "vibe coding" and "software composition" describe a shift from traditional programming to a more collaborative process where humans direct AI tools to create functional applications.

“Vibe coding” is a term coined by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy, refers to the process of using large language models (LLMs) to produce code through text prompts, just like the prompts you’d type into ChatGPT. Karpathy describes it as “Giving into the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that code even exists.”

This evolution presents both an opportunity and responsibility for computer science education. At Girls Who Code, we embrace this transformation while maintaining our commitment to deep understanding and equitable access.

Tools like Replit and Cursor’s Chat assistant make vibe coding possible, taking written instructions and turning them into complex programs in a matter of seconds or minutes. While it’s still extremely important to learn foundational coding concepts, using these tools can help beginner programmers (or people who don’t have a tech background) bypass the steep learning curve of learning to code to prototype an idea.

“For a total beginner who's just getting a feel for how coding works, it can be incredibly satisfying to build something that works in the space of an hour,” explained Harry Law, an AI researcher at the University of Cambridge.

Regardless of how much technical experience you have, vibe coding with AI tools can help turn your ideas into reality. Here’s how:

Unleash Your Creativity

Vibe coding opens the door to a world of creative possibilities. Whether you’re an artist, writer, or just someone with a fun idea, AI coding tools can bring your imagination to life.

Even if you don’t have a background in STEM, you can use vibe coding to do things like:

• Design your dream video game

• Build a custom chatbot tailored to your personal interests

• Turn a short story into a digital animation

Check it out:

Fay, age 8, has been building custom, personalized games for herself using Cursor. She’s built a water park simulator, a Harry Potter chatbot, and more! Listen to her story here.

Start A Business

Have you ever had a great idea for an app, but didn’t quite have the coding know-how to build it? Vibe coding can help!

Before tools like Cursor or Replit existed, you’d often need years of coding experience to develop an app by yourself. And even if you were a coding genius, it could take weeks or months to even make a working demo.

But now, anyone can bring their business ideas to life in just a matter of days. You’ll still need to dig into and rework some of the code—after all, you can’t rely 100% on AI to make your app scalable, design it securely, or deploy it properly—but you can use vibe coding to build prototypes and start your business journey.

Looking for ideas? Here are a few ways to start:

• Build custom applications and launch them on the App Store or Google Play Store

• Quickly and easily design custom websites

• Create digital tools for local businesses and organizations

Check it out:

@Morriliu, a college student at Columbia, built an entire app using AI and successfully launched it on the App Store.

Learn by Doing

Vibe coding can also be a fun, hands-on way to learn to code! Instead of reading long tutorials or watching endless YouTube videos, you can jump right into building things that match your interests, learning as you go.

Ready to give it a shot? Try this:

• Use a prompt to generate code with an AI tool like Replit, then dig in and explore how that code works.

• Experiment, tweak the code, and try new things—with AI guiding you the whole way.

• Have questions? Just ask! Many AI tools will explain what’s going on in an easy-to-understand way.

Check it out:

Want to start learning the basics of vibe coding but don’t know where to start? Check out Replit’s official Vibe Coding 101 course on DeepLearning.AI.

Solve Real-World Problems

Working on fun projects like apps and games is exciting, but it’s not the only thing you can do with AI coding software. You can use vibe coding to make a real difference in the world, building tech tools that solve problems in your community. Here are a few examples of things you could design:

• A climate tracker that helps people track their daily carbon footprint and suggests ways to reduce it

• A tool that helps students at your school find tutors

• A reminder app that helps people build positive health habits like staying hydrated or taking daily walks for their mental health

Check it out:

Just this year, students participating in the GWC AI and Sustainability Challenge built tools that helped communities make more eco-conscious decisions.

AI coding tools like Replit and Cursor are doing more than just changing the way we write software—they’re making coding more accessible, giving millions of people the ability to unlock their creativity, find new ways to learn, drive business innovation, and solve global problems. Regardless of whether you’re an experienced programmer or someone just starting out, vibe coding opens the door to endless new opportunities.

The only question now is, what will you create?

Need inspiration for your next vibe coding project? Visit the GWC Challenges page to explore ideas, winning projects, and more.