Framework

Distant Coding

AI-assisted programming in which human practitioners retain domain expertise, critical oversight, and decision-making authority while using AI agents to generate and manage code. Where distant reading uses computation to analyze literature at scale, distant coding uses AI to extend programming capacity while the human remains the expert in the room.

Distinct from "vibe coding" in that distant coding demands understanding of what the code does and why, not just accepting AI output uncritically.

Work

Conference Paper
Distant Coding and the Future of Interactive Digital Narrative Pedagogy
ICIDS 2025 · Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer
Data-Sitters Club
DSC #23: Dawn of the Coasting AI
Anastasia Salter, John Murray, Lee Skallerup Bessette · August 2025
Workshop
DH Programming Pedagogy in the Age of AI
DHSI 2026 · Digital Humanities Summer Institute
John Murray & Anastasia Salter
University of Central Florida