By Markus Bernhardt
What vibe coding is & why it matters now
Vibe coding is a new way to build software. Instead of writing code, you describe in plain language what you want, and the system assembles it. Someone with no coding background can quickly create a quiz generator, a role-play scenario, or a quick reference tool.
Until recently, vibe coding lived inside developer workflows: code editors, files, builds, and fixes. That has changed. Tools like Google’s Opal let you build and share mini apps entirely through natural language and a visual editor. You guide a workflow with prompts, connect blocks, and publish a working prototype—without ever touching code.
For L&D, timing matters. Our work depends on low-cost experiments, rapid prototyping, and small aids that support people in the flow of work. Vibe coding drops the barrier to entry so far that learning teams can start building now, rather than waiting for developers or vendors to decide the rules.
Opportunities for L&D
Speed
The biggest opportunity is speed. Teams can turn a sketch into a working prototype in hours rather than weeks. A compliance group could test a flashcard set in the morning and gather learner feedback that afternoon. The constraint shifts from “Can we build it?” to “Can we test and refine it fast enough to matter?”
Access
A second opportunity is access. Instructional designers and SMEs no longer have to wait for technical resources. A trainer can generate a branching scenario for the sales team on countering objections, verify it with a colleague, and release a pilot version immediately. Those closest to the learning need can now be the builders.
Targeted support
Finally, vibe coding enables targeted support in the workflow. A service desk might deploy a micro-app that guides escalation paths. A field technician might pull up a troubleshooting aid on the job. These are not full systems but small, usable supports, delivered fast.
The speed is valuable, but only if the outputs reflect what we know about learning. A poorly designed prototype produced quickly is still poor learning—only faster.
Risks for L&D
The same qualities that make vibe coding attractive also make it risky.
Fragility
A designer builds a branching scenario for call-center staff. It demos beautifully. A week later, after a platform update, two branches start producing nonsense. The tool collapses without warning.
This is fragility by default: Vibe-coded tools are quick to build, but just as quick to break.
Verification gaps
Another risk is the verification gap. AI-generated flashcards or scenarios may look convincing while smuggling in errors or contradictions. Learners, trusting the tool, absorb mistakes into their practice. In one public experiment outside L&D, an AI agent even deleted a live database while “vibe coding” a workflow.
The lesson: Unchecked outputs carry consequences.
Inconsistent governance
The third risk is governance blind spots. Because anyone can build, shadow tools can proliferate—duplicating effort, sidestepping security, confusing learners with inconsistent guidance.
L&D has seen this with rapid authoring and no-code platforms. Vibe coding accelerates it.
The paradox is clear: The easier it becomes to create, the more fragile and risky the results can be. That does not mean L&D should avoid vibe coding. It means we must use it deliberately, with guardrails.
Using vibe coding safely
What’s needed is a clear framework for using vibe coding safely in L&D.
The way forward is not retreat, but discipline. Four principles matter:
- Expect Fragility: Build for failure, test for edge cases, and capture what breaks.
- Mandate Expertise: Ensure every output is verified by a subject matter expert. No SME, no shipment.
- Own Your Artifacts: Export your prompts and workflows. Do not let your IP live only inside a vendor’s platform.
- Govern with Clarity: Define who builds, who verifies, and who retires. Enthusiasm without governance is chaos.
And remember: Faster tools do not change human cognition. Flashcards, scenarios, and workflow aids must still respect design principles—keep focus sharp, avoid clutter, and create active engagement.
Practical recipes in action
At a retail company, an instructional designer faced a recurring challenge. Seasonal staff needed refreshers on product knowledge, but producing new digital activities each year took too long. Using vibe coding, the designer fed a training manual into a prompt and generated flashcards. Within an hour she had a set ready for a pilot. Her SME corrected a few errors, and learners had practice material the same day.
What mattered was not polish but speed: A tool built in a morning that would previously have taken days. More importantly, the flashcards created practice—challenge, choice, and feedback—the elements that actually drive learning.
Perspectives across the L&D team
For senior leaders, vibe coding is strategic. The question is whether to sponsor safe pilots and set expectations for responsible experimentation.
For designers, it is an accelerator—a way to test ideas quickly and gather evidence before scaling. The discipline is in documenting what works and what breaks.
For SMEs, it raises the stakes. Their review is the safeguard against error. No SME in the loop means risk.
For administrators and compliance leads, it is about governance: where these tools live, how they are shared, and how they are retired.
Vibe coding is not a designer’s toy. It is a shift that touches every role in L&D.
Historical context: Another turn in the cycle
This is not the first time tools have lowered barriers. In the 1990s, authoring systems like Authorware let designers build without coding. In the 2000s, rapid authoring tools like Captivate and Storyline sped production but flooded the field with weak content. Later, no-code platforms let L&D teams spin up apps, with all the risks of shadow systems and uneven quality.
Vibe coding is the next turn. The barrier drops again — this time to natural language. Tell the system what you want, and it tries to build it. That makes prototyping faster than ever, but the same historical risks apply: overproduction, inconsistency, governance struggles.
Seen this way, vibe coding is not a revolution or a gimmick. It is the latest test of whether L&D can balance speed with design discipline.
Looking ahead: Where vibe coding might go
The next 12–18 months will bring shifts worth watching:
- Vendors will add verification features, cross-checking AI outputs against knowledge bases and flagging uncertain results. That won’t replace SMEs, but it will reduce risk.
- Integration will tighten. Mini-apps will flow directly into LMSs, chat tools, and productivity suites, making vibe coding outputs part of the learning ecosystem rather than side projects.
- Template libraries will expand, giving designers starting points for flashcards, scenarios, or guides. This will accelerate building, but also tempt cookie-cutter use if design discipline slips.
- And governance will move center stage. Some organizations will move fast and embrace the mess. Others will clamp down. Most will land in between. The point is clear: if L&D does not shape the rules now, IT and compliance will.
The tools will not stand still. The question is whether L&D will choose to harness them deliberately.
Conclusion: A moment to experiment
Vibe coding has shifted from curiosity to capability. With tools like Opal, instructional designers and SMEs can build directly, experiment cheaply, and test what resonates.
But every wave of easier tools carries the same risks: clutter, shadow systems, inconsistent quality. The paradox remains—the easier it is to create, the more fragile and risky the results can be.
For L&D, the path is clear. Treat vibe coding as a capability to be learned, not a trend to be watched. Run one serious pilot. Write down what broke. Decide where it belongs. Then either scale with guardrails, or stop. Waiting is still a decision.
The tools are here. The moment is open. The choice is ours. Ultimately, vibe coding is the new frontier for the two most critical human skills: the translation of a real-world need into a clear prompt, and the judgment to verify and steer the outcome. The discipline is ours to build.
Learn more about vibe coding & AI
Don’t miss DevLearn 2025, where you’ll find a comprehensive selection of seminars, sessions, and workshops on AI. Join Jeff Batt’s hands-on vibe coding session, “Hands-On with Vibe Coding: Create AI-Powered Learning Solutions in Minutes.” Register today for the best rate!
And watch for the full program for our 2026 Trends & Strategies online conference, where we’ll showcase emerging tools, tricks, and techniques.
Image credit: TU IS
