AI code editors like Cursor, Zed, Codeium, and others, are all in the news, and for all the right reasons. Now, we also have Void, the YC-backed startup, which has launched a code editor with advanced AI features and focuses on privacy with its open source approach. 

Similar to Cursor’s approach, Void is also a fork of VS Code, integrating the features of Cursor and Copilot, while offering open source benefits. The founders Mathew Pareles, CTO and Andrew Pareles CEO are part of YC’s 2024 summer batch. As graduates from Cornell University, their research interests include transformers and quantum computing respectively. 

Click here to check out the GitHub repository.

What’s different?

Their startup aims to solve the problem of closed source models entirely. “Cursor is a closed-source AI editor, which means you need to send your private data through Cursor’s backend every time you use it,” they said, adding that it’s also expensive for developers. They believe the future of AI is open, and they are committed towards advancing it. 

For context, Cursor, built on VScode, had over the internet and X over the past weeks due to its diverse applications. 

“We think the future of AI should be open. You should be able to use whatever model you like and not be locked into using a privatised commercial one that’s built to collect your data,” said the founders on their YC launch blog.

Key Features of Void AI

File system awareness: Void can answer questions about the entire codebase. It builds an index of the user’s files and uses it automatically, without any manual use.

View and edit underlying prompts: Void lets users open up the hood and view/edit every single prompt in their chat history. This is important for understanding how the LLM arrived at its answer – something which is lacking in most closed-source tools.

Fast edits across 1000s of lines: Even if the user’s file is thousands of lines long, Void applies changes almost instantly. We instruct the AI to make changes like a human would, rather than rewriting the entire file.

Full privacy & data control: All of Void’s prompt-building is done on the user’s computer. This allows users to self-host their model, ensuring data remains within their network. Alternatively, they can connect directly to Claude, GPT, or Gemini, avoiding the need to route company data through a middle layer.