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Top Trump administration officials texted a group chat including a journalist plans for strikes on Yemen’s Huthi rebels, the White House said, an extraordinary security breach that shocked Washington’s political elite.US President Donald Trump announced the strikes on March 15, but The Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg wrote on Monday that he had hours of advance notice via the group chat on Signal, which included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance.Top Democrats were quick to condemn the breach, saying it was potentially illegal and calling for an investigation to find out how it happened, while Republicans tried to play down the incident.”The message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.The White House said Trump “continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team,” after the US president earlier said he did not “know anything about” the issue.Hegseth, a former Fox News host with no experience running a huge organization like the Pentagon, took no responsibility for the security breach as he spoke to reporters late Monday.He instead attacked Goldberg and insisted that “nobody was texting war plans,” despite the White House confirming the breach.Goldberg wrote that Hegseth sent information on the strikes, including on “targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and attack sequencing,” to the group chat.”According to the lengthy Hegseth text, the first detonations in Yemen would be felt two hours hence, at 1:45 pm eastern time,” Goldberg wrote — a timeline that was borne out on the ground in Yemen.The leak could have been highly damaging if Goldberg had publicized details of the plan in advance, but he did not do so.The journalist said he was added to the group chat two days earlier, and received messages from other top government officials designating representatives who would work on the issue.On March 14, a person identified as Vance expressed doubts about carrying out the strikes, saying he hated “bailing Europe out again,” as countries there were more affected by Huthi attacks on shipping than the United States.- ‘Dangerous’ -Group chat contributors identified as National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Hegseth both sent messages arguing only Washington had the capability to carry out the strikes, with the latter official saying he shared Vance’s “loathing of European free-loading.”As he spoke to reporters Monday Hegseth dodged questions about the leak, in which highly sensitive material was also shared on a commercial app rather than in secure military channels reserved for such communications.The security breach provoked outrage among Democrats, including some like Senator Elizabeth Warren who said the exchange over group chat could be illegal.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described it as “one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence I have read about” and called for a full investigation.And Hillary Clinton — who was repeatedly attacked by Trump for using a private email server while she was secretary of state — posted on X: “You have got to be kidding me.”The reaction of top Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson was less critical.Johnson said those involved should not be punished, calling it a “mistake” that “won’t happen again”, news site Axios reported. But former national security officials reacted with shock.”Some of these issues… they should only be discussed face to face,” former national security advisor John Bolton told CNN.”I have no faith that the Department of Justice will prosecute anyone involved.”- Huthi attacks -The Huthi rebels, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the “axis of resistance” of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the United States.They have launched scores of drone and missile attacks at ships passing Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Gaza war, saying they were carried out in solidarity with Palestinians.The Huthis’ campaign crippled the vital route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic.The US began targeting the Huthis in response under the previous administration of president Joe Biden, and has launched repeated rounds of strikes on Huthi targets, some with British support.Trump has vowed to “use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” citing the Huthis’ threats against Red Sea shipping.

China has released five local employees of an American due diligence firm detained more than two years ago during a crackdown on foreign consultancies with multinational links, the company said Tuesday.In March 2023, Mintz Group said Chinese authorities had detained five Chinese staff members from its office in Beijing and forced the firm to cease its operations there.Beijing’s foreign ministry later said the company was under investigation for suspected “illegal operations”, but did not provide details.”We understand that the Mintz Group Beijing employees who were detained, all Chinese nationals, have now all been released,” a Mintz spokesperson told AFP in a statement on Tuesday.”We are grateful to the Chinese authorities that our former colleagues can now be home with their families.”Asked on Tuesday about the staff members’ release, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun referred journalists to the “competent authorities”.Headquartered in New York, Mintz specialises in conducting investigations into fraud, corruption and workplace misconduct allegations, as well as background checks.The company employs over 280 investigators in 12 offices worldwide, according to its website.China targeted other US firms during its 2023 crackdown on the sector, including consultancies Bain & Company and Capvision.Analysts warned at the time that the raids indicated that Beijing was increasingly prioritising national security concerns over attracting international business.

US President Donald Trump announced Monday steep tariffs on imports from countries buying Venezuelan oil and gas, a punitive measure that could hit China and India, among others, and sow fresh global trade uncertainty.Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has unleashed tariffs on US allies and foes alike, attempting to strong-arm both economic and diplomatic policy.The latest across-the-board 25 percent levies targeting direct and indirect buyers of Venezuelan oil can take effect as soon as April 2, according to an order signed Monday by Trump.The US secretary of state, in consultation with other government agencies, is authorized to determine if the new levy will be imposed.These could hit China and India, with experts noting that Venezuela exports oil to both those countries, and to the United States and Spain.Trump told reporters Monday that the 25 percent tariff would be on top of existing rates.Caracas called the measure a “new aggression” by Washington. “They can sanction and impose tariffs on whatever they want, what they cannot sanction is the love and patriotism of the Venezuelan people,” President Nicolas Maduro said during an event broadcast on radio and television.In February, Venezuela exported about 500,000 barrels of oil per day to China and 240,000 barrels to the United States, experts told AFP.- ‘Liberation day’ -Trump has dubbed April 2 “Liberation Day” for the world’s biggest economy, already promising reciprocal tariffs tailored to each trading partner in an effort to remedy practices that Washington deems unfair.He earlier signaled sector-specific duties coming around the same day — but the White House said Monday it might take a narrower approach.In his Monday announcement on Truth Social involving Venezuela, the president cited “numerous reasons” for what he called a “secondary tariff.”He accused Venezuela of “purposefully and deceitfully” sending “undercover, tens of thousands of high level, and other, criminals” to the United States.He added in his post that “Venezuela has been very hostile to the United States and the Freedoms which we espouse.”According to Trump’s order, the 25 percent tariff expires a year after the last date that a country has imported Venezuelan oil — or sooner if Washington decides so.Trump’s announcement comes as the deportation pipeline between the United States and Venezuela was suspended last month when he claimed Caracas had not lived up to a deal to quickly receive deported migrants.Venezuela subsequently said it would no longer accept the flights.But Caracas said Saturday it had reached agreement with Washington to resume repatriations after which nearly 200 Venezuelan citizens were deported from the United States via Honduras.Separately Monday, the Trump administration extended US oil giant Chevron’s deadline to halt its operations in Venezuela through May 27.The company had been operating in Venezuela under a sanctions waiver.- Tariff ‘breaks’? -Trump’s latest move adds to tariffs he has vowed would start on or around April 2.Besides reciprocal tariffs, he has promised sweeping sector-specific duties hitting imported automobiles, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.As things stand, however, his plans for the day might become more targeted.Sector-specific tariffs “may or may not happen April 2,” a White House official told AFP, adding that the situation is “still fluid.”The official reaffirmed that reciprocal tariffs would take place.But Trump told reporters Monday he might “give a lot of countries breaks” eventually, without elaborating.He separately added that he would announce car tariffs “very shortly” and those on pharmaceuticals later down the line.US partners are furthering talks with Washington as deadlines loom, with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic heading to the country Tuesday to meet his counterparts — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and trade envoy Jamieson Greer.Hopes of a narrower tariff rollout gave financial markets a boost.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo last week that Washington would go to trading partners with an indication of where tariff levels and non-tariff barriers are.If countries stopped their practices, Bessent added, they could potentially avoid levies.In the same interview, Bessent noted that levies would be focused on about 15 percent of countries who have trade imbalances with the United States, dubbing these a “dirty 15.”

A law firm hired by Caracas filed a petition in El Salvador’s Supreme Court Monday for the release of 238 Venezuelans deported from the United States to a notoriously harsh prison in the Central American country.US President Donald Trump invoked rarely-used wartime legislation to fly the men to El Salvador on March 16 without any kind of court hearing, alleging they were members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang, which their families and lawyers deny.The deportations took place despite a US federal judge granting a temporary suspension of the expulsion order, and the men were taken in chains, their heads freshly shorn, to El Salvador’s maximum security “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT).On Monday, lawyer Jaime Ortega filed a habeas corpus petition, demanding justification be provided for the migrants’ continued detention.”They have not committed any crimes in our country,” Ortega said at the court, while elsewhere in San Salvador, hundreds of protesters clamored for the Venezuelans’ freedom.Ortega said he was hired by the Venezuelan government and a committee of relatives of detained Venezuelans.He added he had a mandate from families of 30 of the prisoners, but would work for the release of the entire group.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said the motion seeks the release of countrymen he described as having been kidnapped.”A week after being taken to concentration camps, neither the government of the United States nor Nayib Bukele has published a list of who they have kidnapped in El Salvador,” Maduro said during an event broadcast on national TV, referring to the president of El Salvador.Bukele is hailed at home for his crackdown on violent crime — with tens of thousands of suspected gangsters sent to the CECOT, which he had specially built.Human rights groups have criticized the drive for a wide range of alleged abuses.Many habeas corpus petitions have been filed with the Supreme Court seeking the release of people arrested during the crackdown on gangs, but very few have received a response.  Bukele replaced senior judges and the attorney general, and a new-look Supreme Court, friendly to the president, allowed him to seek reelection last year despite a constitutional single-term limit. He won.”Bukele already violates the human rights of thousands of Salvadorans… and now he is preparing to violate the rights of these people from Venezuela who have not been proven guilty of a crime,” protester Antonio Medrano, 47, said in the capital Monday.

A federal judge on Monday sharply criticized the Trump administration’s summary deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members, saying “Nazis got better treatment” from the United States during World War II.President Donald Trump sent two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants to a prison in El Salvador on March 15 after invoking an obscure wartime law known as the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA).James Boasberg, chief judge of the US District Court in Washington, issued a restraining order that same day temporarily barring the Trump administration from carrying out any further deportation flights under the AEA.The Justice Department is seeking to have the order lifted and a three-judge US Court of Appeals panel heard oral arguments in the closely watched case on Monday.Justice Department attorney Drew Ensign said the judge’s order “represents an unprecedented and enormous intrusion upon the powers of the executive branch” and “enjoins the president’s exercise of his war and foreign affairs powers.”Judge Patricia Millett appeared unconvinced and said the lower court judge was not disputing Trump’s presidential authority only the denial of individual court hearings to the deportees.Attorneys for several of the deported Venezuelans have said that their clients were not members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, had committed no crimes and were targeted largely on the basis of their tattoos.”Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act,” said Millett, an appointee of former Democratic president Barack Obama. “They had hearing boards before people were removed.””People on those planes on that Saturday had no opportunity to challenge their removal under the AEA,” she said. “Y’all could have picked me up on Saturday and thrown me on a plane thinking I’m a member of Tren de Aragua and given me no chance to protest it.”Somehow it’s a violation of presidential war powers for me to say, ‘Excuse me, no, I’m not. I’d like a hearing?'”Judge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, also suggested that court hearings were warranted but appeared more receptive to the arguments that the judge’s order impinged on presidential powers.The third judge on the panel is an appointee of former Republican president George H.W. Bush.The AEA, which has previously only been used during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II, gives the government vast powers to round up citizens of a “hostile nation” during wartime.- ‘Disappeared’ -Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed suit against the deportations, told the appeals court panel that the Trump administration was using the AEA “to try and short circuit immigration proceedings.”The government would likely immediately resume AEA deportations if the temporary restraining order was lifted, Gelernt said.”We are talking about people being sent to El Salvador, to one of the worst prisons in the world, incommunicado,” he said. “They’re essentially being disappeared.”In a 37-page opinion issued on Monday, Boasberg, the district court judge, said that migrants subject to potential deportation under the AEA should be “entitled to individualized hearings to determine whether the Act applies to them at all.”Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Boasberg, even going so far as to call for his impeachment, a remark that drew a rare public rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.The contentious case has raised concerns among legal experts that the Trump administration would potentially ignore the court order, triggering a constitutional crisis.Ahead of the hearing, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced plans to send three alleged TdA members facing extortion and kidnapping charges to Chile under the AEA.Blanche said the Justice Department “is taking every step within the bounds of the law to ensure these individuals are promptly sent to Chile to face justice.”

Pioneering US genetic testing company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy and is looking for a buyer two years after hackers gained access to millions of profiles.23andMe, which sells a mail-back saliva test to determine ancestry or certain health-related genetic traits for less than $200, said late Sunday that it had “filed a voluntary petition for reorganization” with a state bankruptcy court in Missouri.The announcement prompted warnings for 23andMe customers to ask the company to delete their data amid privacy fears.At its height a few years ago, the DNA testing craze saw millions of consumers rushing to discover their ancestry and health information with tests from 23andMe becoming popular holiday gifts.The Silicon Valley-based company, which went public in 2021, claims 15 million customers and has seen its sales decline in recent months as the testing craze faded and the company suffered a data breach.23andMe said that it rejected a takeover offer from its co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki, who has resigned from her position but will remain on the company’s board of directors, according to the statement.On X, Wojcicki posted that “While I am disappointed that we have come to this conclusion and my bid was rejected, I am supportive of the company and I intend to be a bidder.”She explained that her resignation as CEO was strategic so as to “be in the best position to pursue the company as an independent bidder.” Wojcicki, who co-founded 23andMe 19 years ago, acknowledged the company’s challenges but emphasized her “unwavering” belief in its future.Faced with the difficulties, 23andMe announced the dismissal of 40 percent of its staff in November, about 200 people. It also suspended its research programs.In a regulatory filing, 23andMe also said that it has agreed to pay approximately $37.5 million to settle claims related to the 2023 data breach.The 2023 hacking incident saw 6.9 million accounts affected, of which 5.5 million contained information on genetic matches.Using customers’ old passwords, the hackers compromised data that included names, sex, birth year, location, photos, health information, and genetic ancestry results.- ‘Time to delete’ -With the bankruptcy announcement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta advised customers who have submitted their DNA to delete their genetic information from the website.”Given 23andMe’s reported financial distress, I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and directing 23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company.” There are few data privacy safeguards in the United States at a national level, but California has its own laws regulating the handling of user data.Geoffrey Fowler, a tech columnist for the Washington Post warned: “If you’re one of the 15 million people who shared your DNA with 23andMe, it’s time to delete your data.”He cited the risk “that your data could get sold or transferred to a new company, which might want to use it for new purposes.”The company’s share price was down by nearly 50 percent to 92 cents in Monday trading on Wall Street.

A US appeals court panel was set to hear a bid on Monday by the Trump administration to overturn a judge’s order temporarily suspending the summary deportations of undocumented migrants using an obscure wartime law.The Justice Department announced plans meanwhile to send three alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) to Chile under the rarely used 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA).”In fact, we would have already removed these violent gang members to Chile to face justice were it not for the nationwide injunction imposed by a single judge in Washington DC, which we are challenging today,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.James Boasberg, chief judge of the US District Court in Washington, issued a temporary restraining order on March 15 barring the Trump administration from carrying out further deportation flights under the AEA.The Justice Department has appealed the federal judge’s order and a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit is to hear oral arguments in the closely watched case on Monday.The Trump administration sent two planeloads of alleged TdA members to a prison in El Salvador on March 15 after invoking the AEA, which has only previously been used during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.Attorneys for several of the deported Venezuelans have said their clients were not members of the gang, had committed no crimes and were targeted only because of their tattoos.In a 37-page opinion issued on Monday, Boasberg said the “unprecedented used of the Act outside of the typical wartime context… implicates a host of complicated legal issues.”The judge said that migrants subject to potential deportation under the AEA should be “entitled to individualized hearings to determine whether the Act applies to them at all.””It follows that summary deportation following close on the heels of the Government’s informing an alien that he is subject to the (AEA) — without giving him the opportunity to consider whether to voluntarily self-deport or challenge the basis for the order — is unlawful,” Boasberg said.- ‘Within the bounds of the law’ -President Donald Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Boasberg, even going so far as to call for his impeachment, a remark that drew a rare public rebuke of the president from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.The case has raised concerns among legal experts that the administration would potentially ignore the court order, triggering a constitutional crisis.Blanche, the deputy attorney general, while complaining about Boasberg’s  order temporarily barring AEA deportations, said the Justice Department is taking “every step within the bounds of the law.”He said the three alleged TdA members destined for Chile were wanted there on various charges including extortion and kidnapping.”The Justice Department will work expeditiously to return these Alien Enemies to Chile to face justice,” Blanche said.The AEA gives the government vast powers to round up citizens of a “hostile nation” during wartime and was last used during World War II to intern Japanese residents.

Pioneering US genetic testing company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy and is looking for a buyer two years after hackers gained access to millions of profiles.23andMe, which sells a mail-back saliva test to determine ancestry or certain health-related genetic traits for less than $200, said late Sunday that it had “filed a voluntary petition for reorganization” with a state bankruptcy court in Missouri.At its height a few years ago, the DNA testing craze saw millions of consumers rushing to discover their ancestry and health information with tests from 23andMe becoming popular holiday gifts.The Silicon Valley-based company, which went public in 2021, claims 15 million customers and has seen its sales decline in recent months as the testing craze faded and the company suffered a data breach.23andMe said that it rejected a takeover offer from its co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki who has resigned from her position but will remain on the company’s board of directors, according to the statement.On X, Wojcicki posted that “While I am disappointed that we have come to this conclusion and my bid was rejected, I am supportive of the company and I intend to be a bidder.”She explained that her resignation as CEO was strategic so as to “be in the best position to pursue the company as an independent bidder.” Wojcicki, who co-founded 23andMe 19 years ago, acknowledged the company’s challenges but emphasized her “unwavering” belief in its future.Faced with the difficulties, 23andMe announced the dismissal of 40 percent of its staff in November, about 200 people. It also suspended its research programs.In a regulatory filing, 23andMe also said that it has agreed to pay approximately $37.5 million to settle claims related to the 2023 data breach.The 2023 hacking incident saw 6.9 million accounts affected, of which 5.5 million contained information on genetic matches.Using customers’ old passwords, the hackers compromised data that included names, sex, birth year, location, photos, health information, and genetic ancestry results.With the bankruptcy announcement, Geoffrey Fowler, a tech columnist for the Washington Post warned: “If you’re one of the 15 million people who shared your DNA with 23andMe, it’s time to delete your data.”He cited the risk “that your data could get sold or transferred to a new company, which might want to use it for new purposes.”The company’s share price was down by nearly 50 percent to 92 cents in Monday trading on Wall Street.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday called early elections for April 28, pledging to defeat Donald Trump’s drive to annex the United States’ huge northern neighbor.Carney, a former central banker, was chosen by Canada’s centrist Liberal Party to replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister, but he has never faced the country’s broader electorate.That will now change as Carney brought parliamentary elections forward several months from October. He made it clear that the barrage of trade and sovereignty threats coming from the US president will be the focus of his campaign.”I’ve just requested that the governor general dissolve parliament and call an election for April 28. She has agreed,” Carney said in a speech to the nation, referring to King Charles III’s representative in Canada, a member of the British Commonwealth.In power for a decade, the Liberal government had slid into deep unpopularity, but Carney will be hoping to ride a wave of Canadian patriotism to a new majority.”I’m asking Canadians for a strong, positive mandate to deal with President Trump,” Carney said, adding that the Republican “wants to break us, so America can own us. We will not let that happen.””We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” Carney said.”Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada,” he added, pledging not to meet Trump until he recognizes Canadian sovereignty.Trump has riled his northern neighbor by repeatedly dismissing its borders as artificial, and urging it to join the United States as the 51st state.The ominous remarks have been accompanied by Trump’s trade war, with the imposition of tariffs on imports from Canada threatening to severely damage its economy.- Poll favorites -Domestic issues, such as the cost of living and immigration usually dominate Canadian elections but, this time around, one key topic tops the list in this country of 41 million people: who can best handle Trump.The president’s open hostility toward his northern neighbor — a NATO ally and historically one of his country’s closest partners — has upended the Canadian political landscape.Trudeau was deeply unpopular when he announced he was stepping down, with Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives seen as election favorites just weeks ago.But since Trump’s threats, the polls have spectacularly narrowed in favor of Carney’s Liberals, who hold a minority in parliament, and analysts are now describing the race as too close to call.”Many consider this to be an existential election, unprecedented,” Felix Mathieu, a political scientist at the University of Winnipeg, told AFP.Poilievre, 45, is a career politician, first elected when he was only 25. A veteran tough-talking campaigner, he has sometimes been tagged as a libertarian and a populist.On Sunday, Poilievre — seen by some as too similar to Trump in style and substance — set the tone.”I want the opposite of what Donald Trump wants,” the Conservative leader said in Toronto, promising to base his campaign on bread-and-butter economic issues and the worries of “regular people.”Kicking off his campaign in Labrador and Newfoundland, Carney told supporters on Canada’s Atlantic coast that the country needed “big change” to turn its economy around and “fight Donald Trump’s tariffs.”- ‘Don’t care’ -Carney, 60, has spent his career outside of electoral politics. He spent more than a decade at Goldman Sachs and went on to lead Canada’s central bank, and then the Bank of England.Smaller opposition parties could suffer if Canadians seek to give a large mandate to one of the big two, to strengthen their hand against Trump.The US leader professes not to care who wins the Canadian election, while pushing ahead with plans to further strengthen tariffs against Ottawa and other major trading partners on April 2.”I don’t care who wins up there,” Trump said this week. “But just a little while ago, before I got involved and totally changed the election, which I don’t care about … the Conservative was leading by 35 points.” 

Can a complete tech novice create a website using everyday language on ChatGPT?That’s the promise, misleading for some, of “vibe coding,” the latest Silicon Valley catchphrase for an advance in generative AI that some say makes computer programming as simple as chatting online.”You fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists,” OpenAI co-founder and former Tesla employee Andrej Karpathy described in early February, in a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), using the term for the first time.”I’m building a project or web app, but it’s not really coding — I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy paste stuff, and it mostly works,” he said.The developer and entrepreneur was referring to the new generative AI models that produce lines of code on demand in everyday language, through writing or speech.The concept of “vibe coding” remained confined to the AI community until New York Times columnist Kevin Roose claimed to have created websites and apps without any knowledge of programming.”Just having an idea, and a little patience, is usually enough,” he wrote.The ChatGPT and Claude interfaces can write an entire program line by line on demand, as can Gemini, which launched its dedicated version, Gemini Canvas, on Tuesday.Other generative AI platforms specifically dedicated to coding have also made their mark in recent months, from Cursor to Loveable, or Bolt, Replit and Windsurf.”Maybe, just maybe, we’re looking at a fundamental shift in how software is created and who creates it,” said online marketing specialist Mattheo Cellini on Substack.”It’s unlikely to make coding irrelevant, but it may change the way developers work,” suggested Yangfeng Ji, professor of computer science at the University of Virginia.”This could lead to some job displacement, particularly for those focused solely on basic coding tasks.”Even before “vibe coding,” a downturn was being seen by some in IT employment as the first effects of generative AI began to be felt.The sector shed nearly 10,000 jobs in the US in February, according to the Department of Labor, and its headcount is at a three-year low.- Expertise needed? -Among code novices, many find it hard to catch the vibe.”People who do not have programming expertise often struggle to use these kinds of models because they don’t have the right kinds of tools or knowledge to actually evaluate the output,” said Nikola Banovic, professor of computer science at the University of Michigan.On social media, the few newbies who report on their “vibe coding” quickly complain that it’s not as easy as some want to believe.Without mastering computing complexities like digital directories, runtime environments or application programming interfaces (APIs), it’s hard to create an app that works.Despite his coding knowhow, Claude Rubinson, a professor of sociology at the University of Houston-Downtown, wanted to create an application for his students two years ago without tinkering with the code generated by ChatGPT.After a lot of trial and error, the app finally worked, but “I’m convinced it wouldn’t have worked if I hadn’t understood the code,” which allowed him to guide the interface using the appropriate language.This brought home the importance of the “prompt”: mastering the request submitted to obtain the desired result.”Programmers have certain levels of AI literacy that allows them to get what they want out of the models,” said Banovic.Everyday users “will not know how to prompt,” he warned.