Vibe coding and how to deploy AI

The message left by 2025 is unambiguous. As machines monopolize computation, humans must concentrate on the most human forms of judgment.

Cho Won-kyeong The author is a professor at Unist and the head of the Global Industry-University Cooperation Center.

The word chosen by Britain’s Collins Dictionary this year is “vibe coding.” The idea is simple but disruptive: Give instructions in natural language and AI writes the code instantly. “Vibe” refers to a distinctly human intuition and sense of direction that grasps the essence of a system. In such a world, intention matters more than algorithms and context more than syntax.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers a speech during the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

For years, markets treated coding ability as a basic measure of survival. At the peak of the AI super cycle, however, a different current is emerging. That shift echoes a prediction by Jensen Huang, the chief executive of Nvidia. “Instead of studying coding, learn biotechnology,” he has said. In December 2025, CNBC directly addressed the debate over AI profitability in a report titled “AI’s payback problem: Why Wall Street is losing patience with Big Tech’s spending.” The implication was clear. As machines take care of code, humans must look for new sources of value in solving real-world challenges, from life sciences to energy.

Whether the AI super cycle endures will not depend on how fast technology advances but on where humans choose to deploy it. The central question is shifting from “How do we implement this?” to “What kind of world do we want to build?” Metrics are no longer defined by functional correctness alone but by strategic meaning.

We are standing in the middle of a major transition. The phase of fearing replacement by AI is giving way to a more difficult task: deciding how to ride this powerful wave. The ability to avoid being dominated by platforms and instead secure a meaningful stake in the flow will not come from keyboard proficiency. It will come from original explanatory power and a coherent worldview.

The message left by 2025 is unambiguous. As machines monopolize computation, humans must concentrate on the most human forms of judgment. In the coming year, society should move beyond being absorbed in how skillfully it operates AI tools. What matters is cultivating the discernment to identify where true value will rise in a world reshaped by AI.

What deserves our focus is not the tool itself. It is the questions we ask and the imagination with which we wield that tool to become protagonists of the next supercycle.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.