Z.ai launches ZCode to challenge Cursor, Claude Code and GitHub Copilot in AI coding

Z.ai , the Beijing-based artificial intelligence lab formerly known as Zhipu AI, on Wednesday officially launched ZCode , a free desktop application it describes as an "Agentic Development Environment" purpose-built for its flagship GLM-5.2 large language model. The move marks the company's most aggressive push yet into the fast-growing AI-powered coding tool market, where it now competes directly with Cursor , Claude Code , GitHub Copilot , and Google's Antigravity .