AI research by Profs. Bekes and Koren receives widespread press coverage

New research from Central European University finds that “vibe coding” — using generative-AI agents to build software by assembling open-source components — may unintentionally weaken the open-source ecosystem it depends on. In a new arXiv working paper, CEU economists Miklós Koren and Gábor Békés (with Julian Hinz and Aaron Lohmann of the Kiel Institute) show that while AI mediation can boost productivity by lowering the cost of using and combining existing code, it can also reduce the direct user engagement (such as review documentation, making suggestions). In turn user engagement (visibility) is a crucial motivation for many maintainers sustain projects. Their model implies that, under today’s engagement-based funding, widespread vibe coding could reduce the availability and average quality of open-source software unless new ways of paying maintainers emerge. The authors suggest new ways of financing open source software develoment and maintenance.