A months-old startup, Cognition AI, has made significant strides in AI-powered software engineering with the release of its advanced coding assistant, Devin, backed by $21 million from investors including Peter Thiel and Founders Fund. This AI tool, which has garnered attention for its ability to write entire programs autonomously, marks a potential shift in the software engineering landscape, with capabilities extending to debugging code, building out features, and deploying projects to the web. The development of Devin has been praised by various industry professionals, highlighting its potential to change the way software engineering is approached. This innovation comes amid broader discussions on the future of software engineering and the role of AI in automating not just coding, but potentially other skilled trades as well.