Anthropic has announced a significant update to its Claude Code tool, which is used by developers to assist with programming tasks. The company is shifting the default configuration of the software to 'auto mode.' Previously, users had to manually enable this feature, which allows the AI to execute sequences of commands and perform multi-step coding operations with less frequent intervention from the human developer.

The move is part of a broader industry trend toward increasing the autonomy of AI coding assistants. By making auto mode the default, Anthropic aims to streamline the development process, allowing the AI to handle more complex, iterative tasks without requiring the user to approve every individual step. While this update is intended to improve efficiency and speed for programmers, it also represents a shift in the level of control users maintain over the AI's actions during a coding session. The company has not yet detailed specific new safety guardrails that might accompany this increased autonomy, though the tool remains under the broader umbrella of Anthropic’s existing AI safety policies.