Amazon's new AI can code for days without human help. What does that mean for software engineers?

Amazon Web Services on Tuesday announced a new class of artificial intelligence systems called "frontier agents" that can work autonomously for hours or even days without human intervention, representing one of the most ambitious attempts yet to automate the full software development lifecycle.

The announcement, made during AWS CEO Matt Garman's keynote address at the company's annual re:Invent conference, introduces three specialized AI agents designed to act as virtual team members: Kiro autonomous agent for software development, AWS Security Agent for application security, and AWS DevOps Agent for IT operations.

The move signals Amazon's intent to leap ahead in the intensifying competition to build AI systems capable of performing complex, multi-step tasks that currently require teams of skilled engineers.

"We see frontier agents as a completely new class of agents," said Deepak Singh, vice president of developer agents and experiences at Amazon, in an interview ahead ...