Andrew Ng, the Stanford professor and former Google Brain scientist, has launched a “Vibe Coding 101” short course for newbies who want to learn how to use generative AI tools to write and manage code.
Vibe coding, a term coined in February by OpenAI cofounder Andrej Karpathy, describes how software development is being increasingly automated by AI agents that are given prompts by humans.
Ng, a computer science veteran, wrote on X that while he believes coding agents are “changing how we write code,” making vibe coding work in practice takes a bit of work.
“Contrary to popular belief, effectively coding this way isn’t done by just prompting, accepting all recommendations, and hoping for the best,” he wrote, noting that using AI to write effective code requires a more refined process.
New short course: Vibe Coding 101 with Replit! Learn to build and host applications with an AI agent in this course, built in partnership with @Replit and taught by its President @pirroh and Head of Developer Relations @mattppal.Coding agents are changing how we write code. pic.twitter.com/jMQHnZjAre
He said that he codes “frequently” using large language models, or LLMs, adding that “asking an LLM to do everything in one shot usually does not work.”
It’s why Ng’s course — a 94-minute video series built in collaboration with AI agent company Replit — aims to give participants a beginner’s look at how AI tools can be used most effectively to vibe code.
Ng said the course, taught by Replit president Michele Catasta and the head of its developer relations, Matt Palmer, would teach aspiring vibe coders how to build and deploy web applications with an AI agent.
Ng added that key principles would be taught to accomplish this, such as “giving agents one task at a time, making prompts specific,” and offering a clear sense of how to approach debugging — the process developers go through to identify mistakes in their code.
Other course elements include teaching participants how an AI tool like Replit can be used to automate key portions of the software development process, such as building a prototype of an app or tool.
“By the end of this course, you’ll have a solid foundation in building with coding agents, and a process you can use to keep vibe coding effectively,” Ng said.