Should I vibe code my website?

AI, everyone's doing it right now! "Just ask ChatGPT to do it" :) To actually answer the question: mostly, yes. But there are a few things to think about first.

On a more serious note, let me start by asking you two questions.

First question: do you have a basic understanding of how the internet works?

Second question: are you planning to collect or handle your customers' data?

If you answered no to the first and yes to the second, then from where I'm sitting, that's a big red flag.

A bit about me. I'm a developer. I write code to build web applications and software, and I use AI every day. My first step into the world of AI was connecting an agent to my project repos (the folders where my code lives) so it could learn the way I work. I've written Skills for it, which are a bit like an instruction manual, but for agents. Agents have a language format they prefer, Markdown, and I keep a number of files in it to give my agent context. The agent helps me build my projects faster, and that's all.

Now to make a very real statement... AI agents make mistakes.

Here's an example. On a client project, I asked the agent to remove a feature. It deleted all the code, when all I wanted was to switch it off. On another application, one that handles invoices, the agent wanted to "fix" the data of real customers. Technically, it made sense. In reality, that data feeds those businesses' tax returns. I stopped it because I understood what was at stake. Someone who doesn't understand the code would have just said yes.

Agents also tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. They follow your instructions, but they lack the nuance to understand what you really meant.

Above all, in my view, you need to genuinely understand the subject you're asking the agent to work on.

A simple brochure site? Fine, an agent handles that really well. But if your site collects your users' data, there's a real risk if you can't understand or check what the agent has written.

And then there's the law. As soon as your site collects personal data, even through a simple contact form, GDPR applies. You're the one responsible for that data, not the agent. If you don't know where it's stored, who can access it, or how it's protected, you won't be able to answer those questions on the day someone asks.

So that's my honest take. Go back to my two questions at the start. If you want a brochure site to show off your business, go for it, vibe code it, it's a great way to learn. But if your site needs to handle customer data, payments or user accounts, get someone alongside you who understands what the agent is writing. AI is a brilliant tool. It isn't a developer.

Andrew Watts, web developer based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.