Block has implemented an AI agent for writing code: 15% of the company's software is already being created by neural networks.
Block, the blockchain company led by Jack Dorsey, has taken a significant step in automating development by implementing the AI tool Builderbot. This system already generates about 15% of all the company's software code, a notable figure for the industry.
Builderbot is an orchestrator of AI agents integrated into Slack. A developer simply needs to tag the bot's account and describe the task—the system independently finds errors, suggests fixes, or creates new features. The key difference from standard assistants is access to Block's entire codebase, including Square and Cash App services. This allows engineers from one department to make changes to projects they have not worked on before.
The process is fully automated: the bot takes tasks from Jira, creates branches in the repository, writes code, and submits Pull Requests. According to my data, Builderbot performs over 200,000 operations per day and closes about 1,500 merge requests weekly. This indicates high performance and scalability of the solution.
Technical Details and Security
It is important to note that the tool works exclusively with source code and system configurations. It does not have access to customer data or payment information, which is critical for financial services. Builderbot is built on the open-source framework goose, which Block transferred to the Agentic AI Foundation. Additionally, the company collaborated with Anthropic to create the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
"What used to take months now takes days. The bot handles routine tasks and environment setup, allowing engineers to focus on solving complex problems," said Brad Axen, head of AI capabilities at Block.
At Block, they believe that the shift from writing code with AI to "native" engineering processes based on neural networks will become the main trend in the IT industry. I fully share this forecast: automating routine tasks frees up resources for innovation, although it raises questions about the future of some professions.
My comment: The implementation of Builderbot is not just an experiment but a strategic step that could change the approach to development in large technology companies. 15% of code created by AI is just the beginning. In the coming years, we will see such tools become the standard, especially in sectors where development speed is critical, such as fintech and blockchain infrastructure.