Navigating the hidden cognitive costs of vibe coding

IBM researchers interviewed 11 engineers and researchers who practice vibe coding—AI-assisted, natural-language-driven software development—to examine the cognitive fatigue it produces. The study surfaces hidden mental costs that arise when developers offload code generation to large language models, including degraded situational awareness, difficulty verifying AI-generated output, and context-switching strain that accumulates over extended sessions. These findings challenge the straightforward productivity narrative around vibe coding, suggesting that raw output velocity can mask growing technical debt and skill erosion. The research has direct implications for enterprises evaluating AI-assisted development at scale, particularly around workforce capability, code quality governance, and sustainable developer operating models.