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AI-Assisted Code Generation for Software Developers

Employment & Work

What it collects

Operational data
Anonymized data
  • Unclassified source code for government software applications, provided as input to the AI code editor for context and suggestions.
Run by
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS)
Where
No fixed location
Kept
Not stated by the Helpful Places.
Shared with
Not stated by the Helpful Places.
Your copy
You cannot see the data it holds about you. What you can do

What it is for

Employment & Work

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is piloting an AI-powered code editor (Cursor, developed by Anysphere Inc.) to help government software developers write, complete, and maintain code more efficiently. The tool provides intelligent code suggestions and automates repetitive coding tasks. It is used exclusively by Government of Canada employees and does not process personal information.

What it collects and what happens to it

Data taken in

Operational data
Anonymized data
  • Unclassified source code for government software applications, provided as input to the AI code editor for context and suggestions.

Processing

Language Models
  • The Cursor tool uses large language models (LLMs) specialized in code understanding and generation to provide intelligent code suggestions and automate repetitive coding tasks.

What it does

Creating (Generative AI)
Human decides
  • Generates code suggestions, completions, and automated assistance for repetitive coding tasks. Developers review and decide whether to accept, modify, or reject all suggestions.
Understanding (Semantic AI)
Human decides
  • Understands existing code context to provide intelligent, context-aware suggestions and identify relevant code patterns within the developer's codebase.

Outputs

Generated content
Anonymized data
  • AI-generated code suggestions, completions, and automated code modifications proposed to the developer for review and acceptance.

Run by

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS)
  • Federal department piloting and operating the AI code generation tool for Government of Canada software development teams.

Government of Canada AI Register — 2526-TBS-SCT-001

Built by

Anysphere
  • Developer and vendor of the Cursor AI-powered code editor used in this pilot.

Government of Canada AI Register — 2526-TBS-SCT-001

Kept for

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

Shared with

Not available to me
  • The AI tool is deployed internally for GC employees only. Members of the public do not interact with this system and have no access to its outputs or the code it processes.

Stored

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

How to read the colours

Can it identify you?

Anonymized data
Data about people with the link to who is broken. Stripped of identifiers, blurred, aggregated, or noised so this system can’t reasonably tie a record back to an individual.
Pseudonymous data
Each person’s data is tied to a token (hash, ID, template) that lets this system recognise the same person across events, but the token itself doesn’t reveal a name. Reidentification is possible with extra information.
Identifiable data
The data either contains a direct identifier (name, address, account name, recognisable face or voice, plate number) or carries a token this system uses to look up legal identity during processing.

Who completes the loop?

Human decides
This mode suggests; a person decides what to do next. The AI is always advisory — a human is in the loop on every decision. Example: a triage tool ranks cases for a clinician who chooses which to see first.
Human executes
This mode decides; a person carries out the result. Example: an optimizer plans the day’s trash-collection routes, and drivers run them.
Autonomous
This mode decides and acts on its own. No person reviews each decision or carries out the resulting action.

Definitions from the DTPR standard. Amber is about your data, violet about who decides. The fuller the shape and the deeper the colour, the more identifying the data or the less a person is involved.

What you can do

Ask about this system

Questions go to the Helpful Places, not the vendor.

Your rights

  • Right to Be Informed of AI UseThe AI register notes that AI use is not disclosed to users. GC employees using this tool should be informed that AI-generated suggestions are produced by the Cursor system. No public-facing disclosure mechanism is documented for this pilot.
  • Right to Algorithmic TransparencyEmployees may contact the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat for information about how the AI code generation tool works. Details about the underlying models used by Cursor are governed by Anysphere Inc.'s documentation.

Risks and safeguards

  • Reputational harmAI-generated code suggestions may contain errors, security vulnerabilities, or introduce low-quality code into government software.Safeguard: all suggestions require developer review and acceptance before being committed; the pilot includes measurement of impacts to ensure quality is maintained.
  • Societal & cultural harmReliance on a commercial AI tool developed outside government may create dependency on a foreign vendor and reduce internal software development expertise over time.Safeguard: the deployment is structured as a pilot with explicit measurement of productivity impacts before any wider rollout decision.