Over the last few days, there’s been a lot of talk about Baudr. For those who’ve missed the whole story, it all started with a young man – a streamer who works mainly on Twitch, known online as Grenbaud – who decided to offer a service to his community: an app very similar to a dating app that his viewers could use to make friends and perhaps even find love.
And he decides to do it himself, using Vibe Coding, in no time at all and for just a few dozen euros.
Come to think of it (shifting the focus elsewhere), isn’t that exactly what so many online ‘gurus’ promise? The ones who tell you that, with a €20-a-month subscription, they’ve built an entire company turning over millions using AI agents. And people fall for it. They hand over their money, begging, ‘Teach me, master!’
But let’s get back to the news story: Grenbaud used what is now known as ‘Vibe Coding’. What is it? Basically, you sit down in front of an artificial intelligence, explain to it the ‘atmosphere’ (the vibe, in fact) of what you want to achieve, and the AI spits out code. Even if, like me, you’re a complete novice with absolutely no idea what ‘programming’ means.
The app is developed in just a few days, at minimal cost, and is launched. What’s the problem? It’s that within minutes of going live, and with hundreds of users (including very young people) signed up, the app is hacked and the users’ data is stolen. Profiles, personal information, photos, chats… all the information the app used to find “people like you” was taken without any effort. Perhaps the fastest data breach in history.
Shortly after the launch, security experts and curious onlookers began to take a closer look ‘under the bonnet’. What did they find? A disaster. User data was practically up for the taking, security was non-existent, and the system was a technical sieve. What looked like a fully-fledged social network was in reality nothing more than a cardboard facade held together with sticky tape.
Why did this happen? Because no one had addressed the issues of data management, cybersecurity, or the regulations governing liability for the processing of personal data. Because there was no professional overseeing a matter which, although presented as ‘a game’, had very serious implications. And indeed, the case has now gone to court.
The ‘Everything’s Easy’ Trap
The Baudr case is symptomatic of a problem affecting a great many people, including a great many entrepreneurs: the belief that AI is the ‘ultimate shortcut’. It is the myth of ‘zero skills, minimal investment, maximum results’.
It’s a toxic narrative that tries to suggest that, with 20 euros a month and a few well-phrased questions to any old AI, you can replace entire company departments: “I’ll get the AI to do the work, make money straight away, and won’t have to pay professionals”. It’s the same mindset that ruined those who thought they could become millionaires through cryptocurrency by following the first guru they came across on YouTube.
Artificial intelligence is a tool. It’s not something that’s meant to replace your skills. It can help you simplify your work or create a prototype, but (at least for now, thankfully) it doesn’t replace real skills or human ingenuity. There’s a world of difference between something that ‘seems to work’ on your computer and something that has to manage the data, money and privacy of thousands of people in the real world.
You can’t just say: “Oh well, we don’t have the technical expertise in-house, so AI will sort it out.” Because when your users’ data ends up online, or when your payment system is breached, or when your Cookie Policy is a botched copy-paste job generated by an algorithm,it’s you who ends up in court, not artificial intelligence. When you present a project containing incorrect figures generated by AI, you’re the one who’ll make a fool of yourself in front of the client, not the AI.
So?
So, at least until AI renders us obsolete, use your brain. Don’t look for shortcuts at all costs. Think through the implications of what you’re doing. Make the most of your company’s resources; invest in training (both for yourself and your staff). I’ve already written an article on this subject and I risk repeating myself, but the gist is: don’t let AI make you lazy! Make sure it improves your productivity, but without blindly delegating tasks that (at least for now) still require a human mind behind them.
