# Scripted tests can't keep up with AI-written code. Datadog is betting agents can.

DevFeed: [Scripted tests can't keep up with AI-written code. Datadog is betting agents can.](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/scripted-tests-can-t-keep-up-with-ai-written-code-datadog-is-betting-agents-can-91301.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://thenewstack.io/datadog-propolis-agentic-testing/>)

Author: Alex Wilhelm

Published: 2026-10-20T16:49:53Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [The New Stack](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/the-new-stack.md>)

Topics: [Test automation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/test-automation.md>), [AI-assisted coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai-assisted-coding.md>), [datadog](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/datadog.md>)

Tags: [agentic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agentic.md>), [agentic-coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agentic-coding.md>), [agentic-testing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agentic-testing.md>), [agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agents.md>), [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [ai-agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-agents.md>), [ai-features](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-features.md>), [anthropic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/anthropic.md>), [applications](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/applications.md>), [ci-cd](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ci-cd.md>), [claude-code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/claude-code.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding.md>), [coding-agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding-agents.md>), [datadog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/datadog.md>), [developer-tools](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developer-tools.md>), [engineering-capacity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering-capacity.md>), [lifecycle](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/lifecycle.md>), [logs](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/logs.md>), [monitoring](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/monitoring.md>), [scripted](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/scripted.md>), [software](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software.md>), [software-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-development.md>), [sponsor-datadog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sponsor-datadog.md>), [sponsored-webinar](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sponsored-webinar.md>), [tests](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tests.md>), [webinar](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/webinar.md>)

## AI overview

As AI agents increase code output, testing can become a bottleneck: teams still need to identify user flows, script tests, and update them when flows change. Datadog's acquisition of Propolis adds agent-driven, goal-based testing: agents explore applications and generate tests from plain-language prompts, with observability logs and traces used to assess performance. The excerpt says this approach is intended to avoid the fragility of hardcoded tests and to keep tests useful as flows change. It also identifies testing probabilistic AI outputs as a topic, but gives no method or results; it does not establish how much testing teams can currently automate.

## Source excerpt

Nearly a year into the agentic coding explosion, many teams now use AI to write software as their de facto The post Scripted tests can't keep up with AI-written code. Datadog is betting agents can. appeared first on The New Stack.