For the last three years, the internet has been flooded with "Prompt Engineering" guides. We treated AI like a command-line interface: input code, output result. But as we approach 2026, the interaction model is changing. As noted by futurist Arthur Zards at the AI Innovation Summit, we are shifting from "programming" to "vibing."
The Psychology of "Going Three Deep"
"Vibing" isn't just slang; it represents a profound shift in how we collaborate with synthetic intelligence. It requires curiosity, iteration, and, most importantly, trust.
Zards introduced the concept of "going three deep" with inquiry. Most users ask AI a question, get an answer, and stop. That is a transaction. "Vibing" is a conversation. It is the ability to look at an AI output, challenge it, ask for a different perspective, and iterate.
This shifts the necessary skill set for employees. We don't just need people who can write code; we need people who are endlessly curious. The next big innovations in music, healthcare, and enterprise won't come from the best engineers, but from the most curious explorers.
Consider the difference: A prompt engineer asks "Write me a marketing email for our new product." They get a result, copy-paste it, and move on. Someone who "vibes" with AI asks the same question, reads the result, then asks "Can you make it more conversational?" Then "Can you add a story about a customer?" Then "Can you make it shorter but keep the emotional impact?" By the third iteration, they have something genuinely creative and unique.
The Trust Lag
However, you cannot "vibe" with a system you do not trust. Izabela Lundberg highlighted a critical friction point: Trust takes longer to build than software. You can deploy a new AI model overnight, but if your team doesn't trust it, they won't use it effectively.
Trust is eroded by three factors:
- Hallucinations: When AI confidently presents false data. Nothing destroys trust faster than a confident lie.
- Opaqueness: When we don't know how the AI reached a conclusion. Black box systems breed suspicion.
- Fear: The existential dread that the tool is training to replace the user. If employees believe AI is their enemy, they won't collaborate with it.
Organizations must address these trust barriers head-on. This means being transparent about AI's limitations, creating psychological safety for experimentation, and demonstrating that AI is a tool for empowerment, not replacement.
Vibing is for Pilots, Not Passengers
This brings us back to the concept of agency. In the traditional model, the human waits for the AI to speak. In the AI-in-the-Loop (AIITL) model—which we advocate for at AndySquire.ai—the human instigates the conversation.
"Vibing" with AI is an active, creative process. It is the difference between sitting in a self-driving car hoping it doesn't crash, and driving a Formula 1 car with an elite engineering team in your earpiece. The latter requires skill, nerve, and curiosity—traits that no algorithm can replicate.
The AIITL model puts the human in the driver's seat. You're not just checking the AI's work; you're directing it, challenging it, and using it as a tool to amplify your own creativity and judgment. This requires a different mindset and a different set of skills.
A Framework for the AI Economy
To thrive in this new economy, organizations need a framework based on Transparency, Accountability, and Ethical Judgment.
- Transparency: Be clear about what is AI-generated and what is human. Don't try to pass off AI work as human work. Customers can tell, and they care.
- Accountability: Ensure there is always a human responsible for the AI's output. If something goes wrong, there must be a person who can be held accountable.
- Differentiation: Use your "humanity" as your competitive moat. In a world where everyone has access to the same AI tools, your unique human perspective is what sets you apart.
This framework isn't just about ethics; it's about business strategy. Companies that embrace transparency, accountability, and differentiation will build stronger brands and more loyal customers than those that try to hide behind AI.
The Skill of Critical Auditing
The real skill of 2026 isn't prompt engineering; it is critical auditing. We need to train teams to treat AI output not as a final product, but as a rough draft from a talented but hallucination-prone intern.
This requires a new set of skills:
- Curiosity: The desire to explore, question, and challenge the AI's output. Don't accept the first answer; dig deeper.
- Critical Thinking: The ability to evaluate the AI's suggestions, identify potential biases, and make informed decisions. Ask yourself: Does this make sense? Is this accurate? Is this ethical?
- Creativity: The ability to synthesize the AI's output with your own ideas to create something new and innovative. Use AI as a starting point, not an ending point.
These skills can't be automated. They're uniquely human, and they're becoming more valuable every day. Organizations that invest in developing these skills in their workforce will have a significant competitive advantage.
Building a Culture of Trust
To enable "vibing," organizations must create a culture of psychological safety. Employees need to feel comfortable experimenting with AI, making mistakes, and learning from them.
This means:
- Celebrating curiosity: Reward employees who ask questions, challenge assumptions, and experiment with new approaches.
- Accepting failure: Create an environment where it's safe to fail. If an AI experiment doesn't work out, treat it as a learning opportunity, not a career-limiting move.
- Providing training: Don't just give employees AI tools and expect them to figure it out. Provide training on how to use AI effectively, how to evaluate AI output, and how to "vibe" with AI.
Organizations that create this kind of culture will see their employees embrace AI enthusiastically. Those that don't will see resistance, fear, and underutilization.
Call to Action: The Curious Human
As we look toward the global Think-a-thon in December 2026, the challenge is not to build smarter machines, but to build wiser humans.
We need to encourage our teams to play, to experiment, and to "vibe" with these tools—but always within a framework of safety and ethics. The future isn't about AI vs. Humans. It's about Curious Humans empowered by AI.
The organizations that thrive in the age of AI will be those that recognize this truth. They'll invest in their people, not just their technology. They'll build cultures of curiosity and trust, not fear and control. And they'll use AI not to replace human judgment, but to amplify it.
The era of prompt engineering is over. The era of "vibing" has begun. The question is: Are you ready to vibe?
References
- Artificial Intelligence Innovators Network (2025) Webinar: AI, ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot Innovation Summit. 20 November. [Available at: https://andysquire.ai/latest-insights] (Accessed: 21 November 2025).
- Zards, A. (2025) 'Vibing with AI: A Shift in Meaning and Collaboration', presented at Artificial Intelligence Innovation Summit, 20 November.
- Lundberg, I. (2025) 'The Formula for AI Success: Trust + Learning + Collaboration', presented at Artificial Intelligence Innovation Summit, 20 November.
- Squire, A. (2025) The New Governance (AIITL: The Pilot vs HITL: The Passenger). Available at: https://andysquire.ai (Accessed: 21 November 2025).
- Burrus, D. (2025) 'The Anticipatory Organization: Using AI to Drive Change', presented at Artificial Intelligence Innovation Summit, 20 November.