The Agentic IDE Revolution: When Code Editors Write Code
AI-powered development tools have moved from autocomplete to autonomous multi-step coding, reshaping what it means to build software and who gets to do it.
Beyond Autocomplete
In 2024, AI coding tools completed your sentences. In 2025, they completed your functions. In 2026, they complete your projects.
Claude Code, GitHub Copilot Workspace, Cursor, and Windsurf understand entire codebases, plan multi-file changes, run tests, debug failures, and iterate until the task is done.
The Democratisation of Software
When building software becomes accessible to people who understand problems but lack traditional coding skills, entirely new categories of tools become possible. A teacher can build a scheduling tool. A farmer can build a monitoring system.
What Democratic Governance Must Address
Education must evolve. Labour protections must adapt. Quality and safety standards must be established. And these tools must be available globally, not just in wealthy countries.