VIBE CODE KARAOKE - A Manager's Guide to Running Hands-On AI Building With Your Team

Hampshire County AI
Nov 6
7 min read

WHAT IS THIS?

Your team builds a working app prototype in 30 minutes using AI. No coding experience required. Everyone collaborates. Everyone demos their creation. Everyone walks away having actually used generative AI to solve a real problem.

Think: PowerPoint Karaoke, but you're building apps instead of improvising presentations.

WHY RUN THIS?

Here's the problem: 51% of Americans say they do not use AI at all, and 58% of U.S. workers never use AI on the job—despite endless hype suggesting everyone's already doing it. Even among the minority who've tried it, only 14% use it daily, and just 24% of AI-using employees report their employer actively encourages AI use. Meanwhile, only 38% of U.S. executives say they're helping workers become AI-literate.

In other words, there's a massive gap between AI talk and AI reality.

Traditional training doesn't close that gap. MIT's introductory AI course costs 2,500–2,500–3,500 per person. Custom corporate AI workshops run €2,500 to €250,000. And here's the kicker: employees forget roughly 90% of standard training within a week. Companies spend over $90 billion annually on workplace learning, and most of it evaporates.

Vibe Code Karaoke solves this differently. Your team doesn't sit through a course or watch videos. They actually build something in 45 minutes. No lecture. No forgetting. Just real AI experience that sticks.

What they get:

Real hands-on experience with generative AI (not theory)
Collaborative problem-solving under time pressure
Confidence with AI tools (because they've actually used them)
Connection with teammates (because they've created something together)
A surprisingly impressive working app (in 30 minutes)
All for $20/month per group—not thousands per person

It's a team-building activity that actually bridges the AI literacy gap.

WHAT YOU NEED

Essentials:

One paid Poe account per group ($20/month, no commitment, cancel anytime)
A display device (projector, TV, or large monitor)
Phones/laptops for all participants
WiFi that works
45 minutes

Nice to Have:

Pre-generated prompts (using Vibe Code Karaoke Prompt Generator)
A speaker/headphones (optional, for playing audio if the app has it)

BEFORE THE EVENT

(Do This Day-Of, 15 Min Before Start)

1. Log into your paid Poe account(s). You need one per group.

If running two groups: two accounts, two laptops/displays
If running one group: one account, one display
Make sure tokens are available (you'll have 1M—plenty)

2. Have your prompts ready. Generate 2–3 using the Vibe Code Karaoke Prompt Generator. https://poe.com/VCK_Prompt_Builder

3. Test your display setup. Can everyone see the screen from where they're sitting?

4. Make sure team members have logged into the Vibe Code Karaoke app on their phones beforehand (takes 60 seconds per person).

DURING THE EVENT: Timeline

INTRO & SETUP (5 minutes)

Explain the format:

"We're building apps using AI. One person per group will be the 'driver'—they'll click buttons on their screen and we'll project it. You tell them what to build. In 30 minutes, you'll have a working app. Then we'll demo everything and you can actually use the apps on your phones. This is real AI. It'll be messy, it'll be fast, and it'll be surprisingly cool."

Then:

Assign drivers (one per group, or ask for volunteers)
Make sure each driver has a paid Poe account logged in
Break into groups of 3–5 around each driver
Everyone has the Vibe Code Karaoke app open on their phone (https://poe.om/Vibe_Code_Karaoke)

PROMPT REVEAL (2 minutes)

Display or read the prompt aloud. Make sure everyone understands it. Let them ask clarifying questions.

Example: "Studies show people spend 12 minutes a day searching for the stapler. Build an app that solves this eternal office tragedy."

BUILD SPRINT (20–35 minutes, flexible)

The driver opens Vibe Code Karaoke, enters the prompt, and starts building. The team shouts out ideas:

"Add a button that finds the nearest stapler!" "What if it also tracks pens?"" Make it funny—roast people for losing staplers."

The driver clicks buttons. The AI generates code/features. They iterate together.

You (the manager):

Circulate and keep energy up
Answer tech questions
Remind stuck groups: "Pivot. Try a totally different angle. There's no wrong way."
Apps auto-publish with shareable links as they're built (you don't have to do anything)

Time is flexible:

Chatty team that wants to read and laugh? Let it take 40 minutes.
Focused team building fast? Wrap up in 25.
No penalties. Go with your team's energy.

DEMO & TESTING (8–12 minutes)

Each group presents their app in ~90 seconds. They can:

Walk through it live on the projected screen
Describe what it does
Tell the story of how they built it

Here's the cool part: While one group is presenting, everyone else opens the app link on their own phones and actually uses it. They're not watching passively. They're trying features. Laughing. Discovering things the builders didn't even plan.

No passing phones. Everyone has their own screen. Everyone experiences the app simultaneously.

FACILITATION TIPS

On Timing: Don't be rigid. The goal is engagement, not clock-watching.

On Tech Hiccups: WiFi slow? Refresh. App won't load? Refresh. This rarely breaks.

On Quieter Team Members: The driver role gives everyone a specific job. Ask quieter folks direct questions to draw out ideas.

On Competitive Energy: Emphasize: This isn't a competition. The fun comes from seeing how different teams built completely different apps from the same prompt.

On Awkward Apps: If a team builds something messy, normalize it: "This is exactly what Vibe Code Karaoke is—fast, real, and perfect."

Three Approaches to Vibe Code Karaoke Prompts

When you're designing prompts for your Vibe Code Karaoke event, the magic happens when teams discover they can take the same starting point in wildly different directions. Here are three prompt approaches—each generating different kinds of creativity, energy, and demos.

Category 1: Grounded Observation → Absurd Solution

These prompts start with something real your team experiences, then invite a ridiculous pivot. The result? Teams feel permission to be weird and inventive.

"Everyone in your office has a different coffee order, but the coffee machine only makes one thing. Build an app that helps the machine understand what people actually want."
"People spend an average of 23 minutes per Zoom call looking at their own face in the corner. Build an app that solves this eternal distraction."
"Your team has perfected the art of opening a document, changing nothing, and closing it 47 times before the deadline. Build an app that honors this achievement."

These work because they're instantly relatable—everyone nods—but the solution is wide open. One team might build a game. Another might build a tracking tool. Another might roast people. All from the same prompt.

Category 2: Real Problem → Unexpected Stakeholder

Flip the perspective. Instead of solving for people, what if you solved for the thing that's frustrated? These prompts create surprising angles and spark laughter.

"Meeting agendas get ignored by humans but followed religiously by the Outlook calendar. Build an app that helps the calendar fight back."
"Conference rooms are booked but never used. The rooms are lonely. Build an app that gives them purpose (or finds them a therapist)."
"Someone always suggests the same three restaurants. Your team has stopped listening. Build an app that makes a restaurant so compelling they can't ignore it."

Teams love this format because it's permission to anthropomorphize the ordinary. Suddenly the problem isn't about efficiency—it's about empathy for overlooked objects.

Category 3: Constraint → Creativity

(For teams that like working within limitations)

"Your team can only use 5 words in Slack for a whole day. Build an app that helps them communicate anyway."
"Meetings are banned for 24 hours. Build an app that forces your team to solve problems without talking."
"Everyone has to work from a different time zone next week. Build an app that keeps the team connected across the chaos."

Why This Mix Works

The deepest reason Vibe Code Karaoke works is that people walk in thinking "I'm not a coder, this isn't for me" and walk out thinking "Wait, I just built an app in 30 minutes. And it actually works. And people liked it. And I came up with something totally different from the team next to me."

That transformation happens fastest when prompts are grounded in reality but open to multiple interpretations. The observation itself is interesting enough that teams don't waste time wondering if the problem is real or worth solving. They jump straight into "How do we build this?"

Different teams naturally latch onto different angles. One builds a tracking app, another builds a game, another builds something comedic—all from the same prompt. That diversity is what makes the demos compelling and shareable.

How to Choose Which Approach for Your Event

Absurd Solution works great for teams that love silly, playful energy. Go here if your group tends toward humor and loose creativity.
Unexpected Stakeholder lands best with teams that appreciate perspective shifts and wordplay. It feels a bit more clever and less chaotic.
Constraint to Creativity resonates with teams that like problem-solving under pressure. It feels grounded in real workplace friction, but the apps come out genuinely useful—not just fun.

Pro tip: In a multi-round event, you can mix all three. Start with Grounded Observation (accessible, fun), move to Unexpected Stakeholder (weirder, builds energy), and finish with Constraint → Creativity (feels grounded and genuinely useful, caps the night on a high note).

The best prompts are tailored to your specific team's sense of humor, communication style, and what actually frustrates or delights them. When a prompt feels like it was written for your people, that's when the magic happens.

QUICK FAQ

Q: Do people need coding experience? A: Nope. Zero. The AI does the work. Your team provides ideas.

Q: What if someone doesn't have a phone? A: Use a laptop or pair them with someone. Not a blocker.

Q: What if the app doesn't work? A: That's fine—actually more interesting. It shows AI's limitations and the importance of testing.

Q: How many people can participate? A: Groups of 3–5 per driver work best. You can run 2–3 simultaneous groups or run them sequentially.

Q: What if my team is really small? A: One group, everyone contributes ideas, one person drives. Still great.

Q: What if my team is huge? A: Run multiple rounds or split into simultaneous groups. Demos might take longer, but it scales.

Q: Can we do this virtually? A: Absolutely. Screen share instead of projecting. Zoom breakout rooms instead of physical groups. Same energy.

Q: How much does this cost? A: One $20 Poe account per group, first month only. That's it.

PRE-EVENT CHECKLIST

Paid Poe account(s) set up and logged in
Display device tested and working
Team members logged into Vibe Code Karaoke app (https://poe.com/Vibe_Code_Karaoke)
Prompts generated and reviewed
WiFi tested
45 minutes blocked on calendar
Drivers understand their role
You know how to project the screen

THE REAL PAYOFF

Walking in, people think: "I don't know AI. I don't code. This isn't for me."

Walking out, they think: "I just built a working app in 30 minutes using AI. I collaborated with my team. It actually worked. I came up with something totally different from everyone else."

They'll talk about this for weeks. They'll feel more confident around AI tools. And they'll have bonded with their teammates in the process.

That's the win.