A new column in New Scientist examines a growing practice known as "vibe coding," where people use AI tools to create apps, including ones that closely resemble copyrighted products. The author, Jacob Aron, raises the question of whether tech firms will respond with lawsuits, as they have with past technologies that enabled copying.
Aron argues that every new internet technology tends to spark a battle between user rights and corporate interests. To predict how AI-driven app cloning might play out, he looks to historical examples from earlier tech conflicts, though the excerpt does not specify which ones.
The column does not offer a definitive answer, but it frames the issue as a familiar pattern: new tools empower individuals, and companies push back. Whether courts side with users or firms, the article suggests, will likely shape how freely people can use AI to build software in the future.