Blockchain company Block, founded by Jack Dorsey, has implemented the AI tool Builderbot to automate software development. The system currently generates about 15% of the company's total code.
This tool acts as an orchestrator of AI agents. It is integrated into Slack: developers tag the bot's account and describe the task. Builderbot autonomously identifies errors, suggests fixes, or creates new features.
Unlike standard assistants, Builderbot has access to Block's entire codebase. This allows an engineer from the Cash App team to make changes to Square services they haven't previously worked on. The bot automatically retrieves tasks from Jira, creates branches in the repository, writes code, and submits Pull Requests.
According to the company, Builderbot performs over 200,000 operations daily. Each week, the system closes around 1,500 code merge requests.
“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 Axon, head of AI capabilities at Block.
Block emphasized that the tool only works with source code and system configurations. It does not have access to customer data or payment information.
Builderbot is built on the goose framework, an open-source project that Block has donated to the Agentic AI Foundation. The company also collaborated with Anthropic to develop the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Block believes that the shift from coding with AI to “native” engineering processes based on neural networks will be a major trend in the IT industry.
Recall that in June, TechCrunch journalists referred to artificial intelligence as a justification for layoffs.