Artificial intelligence is very rapidly changing the way software is developed. An example of which is the new tool from the AI coding platform Cursor AI that aims to take this change even further. The company has introduced a feature that called Cursor Automations that allows coding agents to work independently, reducing the need for constant supervision by software engineers.
This new development shows how AI is moving beyond simply assisting developers and is now starting to handle certain parts of the coding process on its own.
Eliminating need for constant prompts!
Most AI coding tools today work through a “prompt-and-check” process. Developers give instructions to the AI, review the output, and then provide more instructions to continue the task.
Although this helps developers write code faster, it still requires them to regularly check the AI’s work and guide it step by step. This can become time-consuming, especially when developers are using multiple AI tools in one project.
Cursor’s new tool aims to reduce this effort by allowing AI agents to start tasks and complete them with very little human involvement.
New “Automations” feature
The new feature introduced by Cursor is called Automations. It allows developers to set up AI agents that can perform tasks automatically in the background.
These AI agents can be triggered by different events, such as a change in the code, a message in collaboration platforms like Slack, or a scheduled time.
Once activated, the AI agent can carry out several development tasks on its own. For example, it can review new code changes, check for errors, and analyse updates without needing constant instructions from developers.
Built on existing AI tools
The Automations feature builds on tools that already exist in the Cursor platform. One example is Bugbot, a tool that automatically checks new code for possible mistakes whenever changes are made to a project.
Instead of asking the AI to review code each time, the system runs in the background and alerts developers if it finds any issues.
This approach allows developers to focus on more important tasks while the AI handles routine checks and monitoring.
What the future looks like?
The launch of autonomous AI coding tools shows how quickly the software development industry is evolving. AI assistants are already widely used to help developers write code, fix bugs, and understand complex programs.
However, tools like Cursor’s Automations suggest that the next stage could involve AI systems that manage certain coding tasks on their own.
While software engineers will still play an important role, their work may gradually shift from writing every line of code to guiding and supervising AI systems that handle many routine tasks.