60-Second Read: AI-Assisted Coding, Vibe Coding, and Agentic Coding Explained

Why Read This?

Ask ten people what AI-assisted coding, vibe coding, or agentic coding mean – and you’ll likely get ten different answers. These terms are often mixed together, even though they describe very different ways of building software, aimed at very different audiences.

The goal of this short read is to remove the confusion. In 60 seconds, you’ll clearly understand what each term means, who it’s for, and where common tools fit – so teams can choose the right approach without guesswork.

AI-Assisted Coding (Developers in Control)

AI-assisted coding enhances how developers write code without changing the development model. Engineers still design, write, and understand the code, while AI accelerates execution through suggestions, auto-completion, and fixes.

AI is a productivity multiplier – not a replacement.

Examples:

• GitHub Copilot
  
• Amazon CodeWhisperer
  
• Google Gemini Code Assist

Vibe Coding (Build Apps Without Knowing Code)

Vibe coding is about building applications using intent and conversation, not programming languages. It targets non-developers – business users, analysts, operations teams – who describe what they want, and the platform generates the app, workflow, or UI for them.

There is little to no expectation that the user understands the underlying code. The focus is speed, accessibility, and outcomes – not software craftsmanship.

Examples:

• Bubble
  
• Lovable
  
• ServiceNow App Engine / GenAI app building

Agentic Coding (Autonomous Software Work)

Agentic coding goes beyond assistance or abstraction. AI agents are given objectives, then autonomously plan, execute, test, and modify software across repositories and systems.

Humans supervise, approve, and intervene when needed – but the agent does the work.

Examples:

• Devin
  
• AutoGPT
  
• SWE-Agent

The Simple Mental Model

• AI-Assisted Coding: AI helps developers write code
  
• Vibe Coding: Non-developers build apps without coding
  
• Agentic Coding: AI agents design, develop, deliver (build/deploy), and change software autonomously

As AI reshapes software design, development and delivery, understanding these differences isn’t semantics – it’s foundational to productivity, governance, and risk management.