Insignificant vibes?

AI has been an omnipresent topic for quite some time now. More and more developers are using LLMs and related tools to write code. Or rather, to have the code generated for them. After all, auto-completion in the editor has been replaced by prompting. Vibe Coding. The time savings can be enormous, but the code quality is debatable depending on the type of implementation (German). But overall, the results are increasingly impressive. Especially when experienced developers phrase the prompts.

I am aware that when it comes to AI, there are countless factors to consider in order to get the full picture (whether ethical, environmental or social) but today I want to focus on something else.

I have no idea how much of my spare time I’ve spent coding stuff. Just for fun. And in the end (at least once in a while) you could feel proud of what you created. Whether it was an online tool for the family, a website for a good cause, an open-source plugin for Kirby, or a little browser game. The joy of coding was always part of it.

But it wasn’t all fun. Sometime it was also really hard work. The endless search for a small error that could sometimes have a big impact, doing research on the web for solutions or helpful resources. I spent a lot of time on it. Of course, the result wasn’t always perfect, but it gave me a good feeling to have created something. And I learned a lot.

Now that I’ve used Claude Code myself a few times, I’m wondering whether coding for fun will still hold a lasting appeal for me, whether it will retain its fascination!? At least to the same extent as before.

Instead of writing a browser game myself, I can have one generated in minutes and then just play it. Unfortunately, I never actually played my games more than a few times. For me, it was all about the process of building it and making sure it worked in the end. Of course the result mattered, but only briefly. With LLMs the code becomes insignificant.

I like to say that I’ve turned my hobby into my career. I enjoy my work and am very happy about it. But that also means I already spend a huge amount of my time coding. Do I really need to do that in my spare time as well?

Until now, I’ve always answered that question with a clear “yes.” As I said, it’s losing its appeal these days. In any case, one thing is certain: everything I’ve invested so far was definitely not useless. It has made me a better developer. And a better developer writes better code, as I’ve already mentioned. Nevertheless, I'm feeling a bit unmotivated when it comes to new side projects – at least for now.

I could take advantage of all the new possibilities and start developing things that I wasn’t able to do before without LLMs. Either because I lacked the knowledge or simply it was too time-consuming. By using LLMs these tasks can be done with a few key strokes.

But then the broader implications of AI come back into play. Burning tokens just for fun (projects)?! That doesn’t convince me, to be honest. The side effects are too significant for that. And … is it even still something I coded myself? What’s the difference between prompting to an LLM on the one side and telling another developer to do the real work on the other?

It wouldn't be mine anymore. The code would become insignificant. The vibe would be gone.

So the development of my blog will remain free of LLMs. If I feel like trying something new, I’ll do it here using my brain and my hands. Just like I write my posts. I can’t predict if this will stay that way forever. But at least I am sure that the content of my posts will never be generated.

Unlike in a professional (business) setting, in my spare time, it is all about the journey and not about the final result. Music is a great example for this. It’s made for the moment. This is especially true when making music with others, as well as when writing new songs or recording. I can easily spend multiple hours recording and tinkering with my computer, throw it all away in the end, and still be satisfied because I simply had a good time. So it’s quite possible that I’ll spend my spare time doing this more often in the future.

I’m certain that creativity will remain the most important aspect, no matter how ideas are brought to life in the end. Average AI-generated images hardly fascinate anyone anymore. In the end, it’s the creative idea that makes all the difference.

It remains exciting. And hopefully it will remain human, too. Because that’s what really matters and what will keep the vibes significant.