The scope of artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding rapidly and is now changing the way we write code. According to recent reports, Perplexity AI engineers are cutting their development time from days to hours by using AI-based coding tools. This is a significant development that points to the future of software development. Perplexity CEO Arvind Srinivas says that using AI has become “mandatory” at his company.
How are AI coding tools working?
Aravind Srinivas told a Y Combinator event in June that Perplexity has made it mandatory for every employee to use at least one AI coding tool. Typically, this includes Cursor or GitHub Copilot, or a combination of the two.
According to Srinivas, using these tools for engineers has reduced the “experimental time from three, four days to literally an hour” in prototyping. This was revealed in a talk uploaded to YC’s YouTube channel.
Interestingly, this speed is not limited to working on complex algorithms. Srinivas said that his non-technical colleagues are also making rapid changes to the interface with the help of these tools.
“I just give them feedback where I take a screenshot of my iOS app, and I say, ‘This button should move here with an arrow,’” he said, adding,
“They upload my screenshot to Cursor and then tell it to write the changes to the Swift UI file.”
Srinivas called the speed of this change “unbelievable” and said that “the speed of fixing bugs and sending it to production is amazing.”
AI Coding Tools on The Rise and Industry Concerns
AI coding tools are now becoming increasingly popular in the tech industry. Last month, Business Insider reported that experience or familiarity with tools like Cursor and Bolt are being explicitly mentioned in job listings at Visa, Reddit, Door Dash, and several startups.
Business Insider
Earlier this month, Business Insider’s Alistair Barr also published a special report on a recent survey that highlighted the explosive growth and impact of these tools in software development. Jellyfish, which helps companies manage developer teams, found that 90% of engineering teams are now using AI in their workflows, up from 61% just a year ago. About 48% of respondents reported using two or more AI coding tools, indicating that teams are taking a diverse, experimental approach.
However, some industry leaders have warned that the hype around AI coding has some downsides.
GitHub CEO Thomas Domke said on a podcast in June that using AI coding tools can slow down experienced engineers. He said the worst-case scenario is when a developer is forced to provide feedback in natural language when they already know how to do it in a programming language.
According to Domke, it’s “essentially changing something that I can do in three seconds to something that could potentially take three minutes or more.”
OpenAI Co-founder
OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman also said that using these tools has left humans with the less enjoyable parts of coding. He said that the current state of AI coding has left humans tasked with reviewing and deploying code, which is “not fun at all.”
A Glimpse Into the Future
Perplexity’s experience shows that AI coding tools can significantly speed up the software development process, helping companies innovate and bring new products to market faster. However, the challenges and pitfalls associated with these tools cannot be ignored. Developers and companies will try to balance the pros and cons as they adopt this new technology. It will be interesting to see how these tools further transform the world of coding in the future.
Conclusion
AI coding tool use by Perplexity engineers is not only accelerating software development, but also creating a foundation for revolutionary changes in technology. These tools have made writing code, debugging and creating complex solutions easier than ever.
Perplexity says that in the near future, the best programmer will be someone with AI at his side and not a coder who only codes one handed. AI-based tools have become part and parcel of modern engineering.
The digital world is a fast-paced one, and only the organizations who adopt AI technologies early are able to achieve great heights. This Perplexity case study shows us that a combination of vision, hard work, and AI technologies can lead to amazing results.
Now is the time for IT and software professionals, including developers and engineers to learn about AI. They should leverage AI’s capabilities and embrace this new world. AI isn’t the future anymore, it’s a fact of life. And those who recognize this will lead the way in the race to success.
FAQs
1. How are Perplexity AI engineers using AI to speed up software development?
Perplexity AI engineers are leveraging tools like Cursor and GitHub Copilot to drastically reduce development time. According to CEO Aravind Srinivas, these tools have cut prototyping time from several days to just a few hours by automating parts of the coding, debugging, and UI revision process.
2. Why has Perplexity made AI tools mandatory for their developers?
The company believes that integrating AI coding tools is essential for staying competitive. Perplexity’s leadership has made it mandatory for every engineer to use at least one AI tool, citing the productivity gains and innovation speed that AI enables.
3. What kinds of tasks are being accelerated by Perplexity AI engineers using these tools?
Tasks like interface adjustments, bug fixes, prototyping, and even non-technical feedback implementation are all being accelerated. For example, engineers can upload app screenshots and get instant Swift UI updates based on simple visual prompts.
4. Are AI coding tools only helpful for complex development work?
No. Even non-technical team members at Perplexity are using AI tools to make UI changes and test features. The tools aren’t limited to complex backend logic—they’re useful across the entire product development process.
5. What are the most commonly used AI coding tools among Perplexity AI engineers?
The most frequently mentioned tools are Cursor and GitHub Copilot. Some engineers also experiment with other tools like Bolt, depending on their role and preferences.
6. Are other tech companies adopting AI tools like Perplexity AI engineers?
Yes. Companies like Visa, Reddit, and DoorDash are now listing AI tool experience (like Cursor and Copilot) in their job descriptions. The industry trend is rapidly shifting toward making AI fluency a core requirement for developers.
7. What are the downsides of using AI coding tools according to industry leaders?
Some experts like GitHub CEO Thomas Domke caution that AI tools might slow down experienced coders who can write code faster than they can describe it in natural language. Others, like OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, argue that humans are left with the “boring” tasks of reviewing and deploying code.
8. What does the future look like for software developers using AI?
The success of Perplexity AI engineers shows that future developers will need to collaborate with AI, not work in isolation. The shift is toward hybrid productivity—where coders use AI as a partner in creation, testing, and delivery.
9. Is AI coding still optional for software engineers today?
Not really. As Perplexity’s CEO said, using AI tools has become “mandatory” in fast-paced environments. For modern engineers, AI isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity.
10. How can developers start working like Perplexity AI engineers?
To follow Perplexity’s model:
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Choose at least one AI coding tool (e.g., GitHub Copilot or Cursor)
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Integrate it into your daily workflow
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Use it for ideation, prototyping, and bug fixes
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Keep learning and iterating as the tools evolve