The 13-Year-Old and His Sister Vibe Coding and Taking on AI Hackathon

Seasoned tech professionals filed into a weekend vibecoding class. Somewhere between them sat a 13-year-old quietly planning an AI sports coach.

Usman Asif was the youngest person in the room. His 18-year-old sister, Shanzey Asif, was in the same class in Singapore.

“I was surrounded by people much older than me, with more experience in technology,” he told Business Insider. “But I felt age is just a number.”

Once he started vibe coding, “it was weird but fun,” he said.

By the end of the second day, the teen had vibe-coded an AI-powered sports coach. His sister had built a website to help astronomy fans in Singapore see when planets are visible.

How the teens got into vibe coding

The family’s AI journey started with their father, Asif Saleem, who works at Google as a financial services go-to-market lead for Japan and Asia Pacific. He learned about vibe coding, or prompting an AI to generate code, and was curious about the tools on the market.

He attended a local vibecoding class in June. By the end of the weekend, he had created a financial statement analyzer.

Usman and Shanzey, who were already interested in AI, saw what their father did and wanted to be part of the class.

A few weeks later, both siblings signed up for the same course their father had taken.

“It was pretty intimidating at first,” Shanzey said. “I didn’t really know what vibe coding was.”

The majority of attendees were executives. “They already had kind of experienced what coding was, and some of them were like working in Google and Oracle, and even Amazon,” Shanzey said.

Baby steps into their first AI apps

Once the instructors broke down what vibe coding was, it became “really simple” — and fun — for Shanzey.

The 12th grader, who attends an International Baccalaureate program, initially thought she would have to write code, but learned that prompting is what drives the entire process.

When her space website came together, she thought: “This is great. I didn’t even have to do any coding.”

Usman said his entry into vibe coding was bug-filled.

“It kind of drove me crazy because I did not know what to do,” he said. Whenever he asked AI to fix a bug, it would generate another one.

“But it’s like that, you know, one bug after another, then you get there,” the teen said.

With practice, he learned what different bugs meant and how to get the AI to resolve them.

Both siblings sound like tiny product managers when talking about prompts, which they say are the backbone of the vibe coding process.

“Prompts are supposed to have good details and good information. You have to instruct the AI like a teacher to a student,” Usman said.

Shanzey added that the very first prompt determines the direction of the app. She also said users can use the models to help craft better prompts.

Joining a hackathon as a family

Vibe coding didn’t immediately become a family routine. With school, work, and exams, everyone tinkered with AI in their own time.

After finishing their vibe coding class, Asif, Usman, and Shanzey decided to test their skills together at Cursor’s 24-hour hackathon in Singapore. The October event drew hundreds of participants, mostly adults.

“Our only goal was to get out with a completed project,” Shanzey said. “Whatever happens after that was part of the experience.”

The trio quickly settled on an idea that had begun as a dinner-table conversation: choosing Shanzey’s future college.

Their project was an AI-powered university guidance counselor.

The family vibe coded for about 12 hours straight, then went home and returned the next morning to see the results. Each person played a crucial role: Asif drafted the first version, Shanzey refined the interface and layered in new features, and Usman mapped out the key elements for the demo video, which Shanzey then shot.

Although they didn’t win, the experience became one of the most memorable things they’ve done together.

“I was really, really happy with what we were able to achieve, with how Shanzey and Usman stepped up,” Asif said. “It was great fun.”

Guardrails, takeaways, and the AI future

For all the excitement around AI in the household, there are limits on how it’s used — especially when it comes to schoolwork.

“When she’s studying, she can’t use AI for the content she’s creating,” Asif said of his daughter. “That’s super important because the schools will always validate the output produced.” The same rule applies to Usman.

Asif and his wife manage screen time and gaming with a reward system.

“If you want some me time or play time, that should come as a reward for achieving certain goals,” like making breakfast, Asif said.

With those boundaries in place, the siblings said that coding with AI has taught them a few valuable lessons.

For Shanzey, the biggest one was the importance of structure. Giving the AI clear, organized instructions felt a lot like managing the various demands of school: exams, essays, activities, and volunteering.

Approaching things systemically is often what leads to success, she said.

Usman’s takeaway was about depth. Vibe coding taught him that good results come from thoughtful, detailed responses, not shortcuts.

“There are no shortcuts to success,” he said. “You just have to do it the hard way and learn the hard way. I could also implement this into my daily life in school.”

Usman and Shanzey are sure AI will be part of their future.

“Regardless of what I end up doing, I think AI will always be a part of my life,” Shanzey said. “If I go into law or psychology or something like that, I think AI will be a huge contributor to that.”

The 13-year-old sees potential in building apps full-time.

“I feel like I could have a career with AI, such as AI app building,” he said. “Hopefully, there’s a bright future for me with AI.”

Do you have a story to share about vibe coding? Contact this reporter at cmlee@businessinsider.com.