Catch up on the latest from ASC Labs: Vibe coding and APIs

ASC Labs is ASC’s year-round knowledge exchange initiative, presenting a range of free activities and events. These include training on topics relevant to research and technology, as well as informal “virtual coffee mornings” to share ideas and catch up with your peers in the sector. 

In addition to the regular coffee morning slot, ASC Labs kicked off the year with two sessions hosted by Andrew Le Breuilly designed to help people begin their journey into vibe-coding. Notes and recordings of the two sessions are now available, in case you missed them. 

1. Why there’s never been a better time to learn to code – AI coding tutorial 

In February Andrew led a session inviting attendees to swap traditional textbook-based self-study for a more hands-on approach, powered by AI.  Using just Visual Studio Code and a subscription to Claude Pro, he demonstrated how quick and easy it was to build something, and have AI explain what it was doing. 

More details on the session, including the full video, are available here. 

2. Why every survey professional should understand APIs, MCPs and AI 

April’s ASC Labs built on the session in February, offering some helpful jargon-busting around three acronyms that seem ubiquitous at the moment: APIs, MCPs and AI.  Andrew explained the meaning of these terms, why they are so prominent right now, and how they work together.  This was illustrated with a live demo, where Andrew built an API from scratch and connected it to ChatGPT. 

More details on the session, including the full video, are available here. 

Details of May, June and July’s ASC Labs are already available on the ASC Events page of the website, along with registration details.  We’d love to see you there!