Good morning. These days, you don’t need coding knowledge to create software. Artificial intelligence can do it for you. Known as “vibe-coding,” it’s similar to other forms of generative AI: impressive or useless, depending on your point of view. But it has the potential to change the future of work. This is what is at the center of our concerns today, as well as the performance of the loonie in 2025.
First
In the news
Work: At auto parts maker Titan Tool and Die, workers fight against an outsourcing surge – and it became the longest labor dispute in Windsor’s history.
Capital markets: CIX Trading Inc. plans to launch an alternative system to challenge the TSX in 2026 as competition intensifies among stock trading platforms.
Personal finances: More Canadian millionaires looking to move abroad. Why do so many people never take off?
Saad Sahi has a company that helps people clean up vibe-coding, which is software code written by AI.Amber Bracken/The Globe and Mail
To the point
Catching a vibe
Hello, my name is Joe Castaldo, a business reporter at the Globe who specializes in artificial intelligence.
All year I’ve been talking to companies about vibe-coding, which means using AI to write software. I’ve heard a lot about how professional coders are getting more work done with the help of AI and how complete amateurs can create software without writing a single line of code. Using AI, anyone can enter plain language instructions into a mood coding app. If everything goes well (and sometimes it doesn’t), working software comes out the other end.
However, to truly understand something, you have to try it. So as a non-coder, I tried vibe codingwhich you can read in my article today. I won’t spoil it, but I came away impressed and developed a better understanding of how AI is changing software engineering – but not to the extent you might assume.
It is undeniable that AI will change many jobs; understanding how is the tricky part. I’ve viewed software engineers as canaries in the coal mine because AI coding tools are advancing rapidly and tech companies are early adopters.
This summer, I spoke to Michael Serbinis, CEO of a Toronto technology company. Leagueto hear his thoughts. He told me there was a lively debate among tech leaders about whether it made more sense to hire a group of young workers and equip them with AI, or forget about interns and focus on experienced coders to realize the full benefits of AI.
This is a pressing question given concerns about how AI could replace entry-level workersespecially in technology. But when I spoke with Serbinis again this month, the debate seemed to have died down. He said each The company’s software engineer benefits from AI, and League is still recruiting interns.
Although AI can accelerate software development, it has some limitations. I’ve spoken with professionals who tell me that ambience coding tools start to malfunction as a project becomes more complex. AI has trouble “remembering” details after a while, whereas an experienced coder will have a better understanding of the context. Coding is not just about mechanically writing a script. The most important skill engineers bring is devising new ways to solve problems, experts told me. Here, humans have the advantage.
Saad Sahi says he doesn’t expect mood coding apps to become perfect anytime soon, which probably means more cleanup tasks for him and others.Amber Bracken/The Globe and Mail
So what about amateurs, like me? Vibrational coding can take us quite far if we build something simple. I created a crossword app, for example. The visual design capabilities of these tools are also impressive. My wife, who works in design, was disturbed by how quickly the ambiance coding platform I used could create professional interfaces and by the thoughtful features it incorporated to improve the user experience.
Yet many amateur coders get frustrated and give up because they ultimately have no idea what they’re doing. This gave rise to a kind of new job: the vibe-coding cleaning specialist, a professional hired to take a buggy AI-generated app and make it actually work. Saad Sahi, who has fixed a few ambient-coded projects for others, told me he doesn’t expect these tools to become perfect anytime soon. This likely means more gigs like this for him and others in the future.
As for me, I became a little addicted. I started coding other things for fun, like a math game for my son and a daily cryptic crossword clue website because, well, I’m an idiot. And if I get stuck, at least I know who to call.
Mapped
Canada against the world
Canada has beaten most forecasts against the U.S. dollar in 2025. Last week, the U.S. dollar had fallen almost 5 percent against the loonie. But compared to the world’s most popular currencies, we’re not doing as well, according to the Bank for International Settlements. Here is the performance of this collection of popular currencies against the loonie.
Quoted
You’re relying on the stated expertise of ransomware negotiators who are negotiating with a counterparty that has no legitimacy or, frankly… no obligation to abide by the terms of the deal, at least in a legal sense.
— Charles Finlay, executive director of Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst at Metropolitan Toronto University
A multi-billion dollar industry – run by people who aren’t afraid of a good fight – has sprung up to protect businesses from cybersecurity attacks. Financial and cybercrime journalist Alexandra Posadzki looks at the invisible need to ransomware negotiations.
To be continued
More files we track
Tax savings: New RRSP contribution limits, tax brackets and more: here are five tax changes for 2026 Canadians should know about for the coming year.
Expense taxes: The West still spends a lot of money on nuclear power plants – and take the taxpayers with me for the ride.
In the stars: Too deep a dive? Why is Constellation software the stock to watch in 2026.
Predictions: That of John Heinzl Investment forecast for 2026 (he is so confident in his five predictions that he encourages you to print this column and post it on your refrigerator for future reference).
Morning update
Global markets remained quiet as trading resumed in Canada and Europe today after the holidays.
Wall Street futures were mixed after major U.S. markets closed Friday, while TSX futures pointed to a decline.
Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 index climbed 0.13 percent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 index rose 0.11 percent, Germany’s DAX 0.08 percent and France’s CAC 40 0.23 percent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.44 percent lower, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.71 percent.
The Canadian dollar was trading at 73.02 US cents.