In a world increasingly defined by intelligent automation, Cursor AI has emerged as a next-generation AI-powered code editor redefining how developers – from beginners to seasoned experts – build software. Imagine an editor like VS Code but powered by the intelligence of ChatGPT, designed to help you think, debug, and code faster. Cursor AI is that vision realized.
In this post, we’ll explore:
- What Cursor AI is
- How it evolved
- How to install Cursor AI on your MacBook
- Why it matters today
- How development feels with vs without Cursor AI
- Pros and cons
- How it affects experienced vs new developers
- Best practices for experienced developers using it
Check our first post about cursor here: https://railsdrop.com/2025/04/11/evolution-cursor-ai-overview-install-macos/
🧠 What Is Cursor AI?
Cursor AI is a developer-first AI code editor, built on top of Visual Studio Code, with AI deeply integrated into the editing experience. It’s designed to work contextually – meaning it doesn’t just generate generic code snippets, it understands your codebase, folder structure, and logic.
Key features:
- Context-aware AI coding assistant
- Instant code refactoring
- Inline documentation generation
- Bug fixing suggestions
- Built-in ChatGPT-style panel
- AI code generation for entire files, functions, or blocks
In essence, it turns your editor into a pair programmer that understands your exact project.
🧬 The Evolution of Cursor AI
The journey of Cursor AI started with the rise of GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT in 2022–2023. As these tools showed the value of AI-assisted development, developers demanded more context-aware, editor-native, and codebase-integrated AI tooling.
As of 29 April 2025, ~40% of code committed by professional engineers using Cursor is generated by Cursor!
Timeline of Evolution:
- 2023: VS Code extensions like Copilot led the charge in AI-assisted code completion.
- Late 2023: ChatGPT APIs brought conversational code help into tools.
- 2024: Cursor AI launched with the vision of full-context development, integrating the editor with ChatGPT and file-tree understanding.
- 2025: Cursor AI adds real-time debugging help, AI test generation, and full-project understanding with minimal configuration.
Cursor AI wasn’t just a plugin—it was a full-blown editor that replaces VS Code and integrates AI from the ground up.
Check below for the words of Google CEO Sundar Pichai:
✨ Check google’s Veo 3 – An art video generated-model
💻 How to Install Cursor AI on macOS
Installing Cursor AI on your MacBook is easy.
Step-by-Step Installation:
- Go to the official website: https://www.cursor.so
- Click “Download for macOS”
- Once the
.dmgfile is downloaded, open it and drag the Cursor app to Applications. - Open the app. You may need to give permissions via System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Log in using your GitHub or Google account.
- Optionally connect your OpenAI API key (for custom models or paid usage).
Cursor AI will sync your settings like any modern IDE, and you’re ready to go!
🌐 Why Cursor AI Matters in the Modern Coding Era
Software development is no longer just about writing code—it’s about writing good, secure, and maintainable code faster. Cursor AI helps with:
- 🚀 Speed: Complete entire components in seconds
- 🧠 Knowledge: Understands your codebase like a team member
- 🐞 Debugging: Pinpoints issues and suggests fixes
- 🧪 Testing: Helps write unit tests and specs instantly
- ✍️ Docs: Auto-generates internal documentation
In the AI-assisted future of work, tools like Cursor AI aren’t optional—they’re multipliers.
🆚 Development With vs. Without Cursor AI
| Feature | With Cursor AI | Without Cursor AI |
|---|---|---|
| Code generation | Instantly generated with context | Manual and slower |
| Bug fixing | One-click suggestions | Manual debugging, Stack Overflow |
| Learning curve | Smooth with AI help | Steeper, especially for beginners |
| Documentation | Auto-generated inline docs | Time-consuming, often skipped |
| Refactoring | Assisted refactors in seconds | Manual, error-prone |
| AI integration | Native and seamless | Plugin-based or absent |
The difference is stark: with Cursor AI, coding feels like a team sport—even if you’re solo.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Cursor AI
✅ Advantages:
- Full codebase context for suggestions
- Conversational AI built into the IDE
- Quick refactors and fixes
- Makes pair programming obsolete
- Beginner-friendly with pro-level capabilities
❌ Disadvantages:
- Limited to Cursor editor (not VS Code extension)
- May over-rely on AI for thinking/debugging
- Occasional hallucinations or wrong suggestions
- Internet connection required
- Premium features may require subscription or OpenAI key
👶 Freshers vs 🧠 Experienced Developers: How Cursor AI Affects Them
For Freshers:
- Pros:
- Less intimidating learning experience
- AI explains code and errors
- Boosts confidence and learning speed
- Cons:
- May hinder learning fundamentals if overused
- Risk of blindly accepting AI suggestions
For Experienced Developers:
- Pros:
- Supercharges productivity
- Speeds up prototyping and testing
- Handles boilerplate and repetitive tasks
- Cons:
- Still requires strong judgment to verify AI output
- Context overload may cause distraction if unmanaged
🧩 How Experienced Developers Can Fully Utilize Cursor AI
Here’s a practical strategy:
✅ Do:
- Use AI for context-aware code completions—especially for large files.
- Refactor in seconds by selecting blocks and using the AI menu.
- Write test specs from user stories with the help of the chat assistant.
- Ask AI to explain or find bugs across files or functions.
- Generate documentation, migration files, or even setup scripts.
❌ Don’t:
- Rely solely on AI for business logic or architecture decisions
- Accept code blindly—always review suggestions
- Skip writing your own tests
- Forget to version control your AI-generated changes
Pro Tip 💡:
Use AI for what it’s best at—pattern recognition and code generation—but keep the human creativity and design decisions in your hands.
✨ Final Thoughts
Cursor AI is not just a trend – it’s a transformation. It represents a shift toward context-aware, AI-first development environments that do more than autocomplete – they collaborate.
Whether you’re a Rails engineer, a React hacker, or a full-stack product builder, Cursor AI is like adding a genius teammate to your IDE.
🧱 Up Next: Building a Rails + React App Using Cursor AI
In the next blog post, we’ll build a full Rails + React app from scratch using Cursor AI—watch how it writes your models, React components, routes, and tests like magic.
Stay tuned! 🚀
The Rails Drop 