Code Assist Gains Third-Party Tool Support - Google's Coding Assistant

Google Expands Gemini Code Assist with Third-Party Tool Support

On Tuesday, Google announced the integration of support for tools developed by third parties within Gemini Code Assist. This is Google’s AI-powered code completion service specifically designed for enterprise use.

Evolution from Duet AI

Code Assist was initially introduced in April as a rebranding of a comparable service previously offered under the now-discontinued Duet AI branding. It is accessible through plug-ins compatible with widely used development environments such as VS Code and JetBrains.

The service leverages Google’s Gemini AI models, enabling it to analyze and modify substantial code segments effectively.

Enhanced Functionality Through Tool Integration

The newly launched tools, currently in private preview, empower Code Assist to access real-time data and information from external applications. Google aims to integrate diverse technologies into the coding workflow while minimizing interruptions, according to Ryan Salva, Director of Product Management, and Prithpal Bhogill, Group Product Manager at Google.

“This new tools feature is designed to reduce the difficulties associated with switching between different contexts,” Salva and Bhogill explained in a blog post. “Developing scalable and secure applications for production requires more than just proficient coding – developers also need solutions for productivity, observability, security, and database management.”

Limited Access for Tool Developers

Currently, the development of tools for Code Assist is restricted to Google Cloud partners. This limitation is at least temporary in nature.

“These tools allow developers to retrieve data from, or perform actions within, any component of their engineering system – a feature particularly beneficial for services operating outside the core development environment,” Salva and Bhogill stated. “For instance, a developer could summarize recent comments from a Jira issue, identify the individual who last merged changes to a file in git, or view the latest live site issue reported by Sentry.”

Initial Tool Availability

At launch, tools from GitLab, GitHub, Sentry.io, Atlassian Rovo, Snyk, and Google Docs are available for use with Code Assist. Google Cloud partners interested in creating new tools are encouraged to contact their respective partner managers, as indicated by Salva and Bhogill.

Competition with GitHub Copilot Enterprise

Code Assist directly competes with GitHub’s Copilot Enterprise, which offers similar extensions that function in a comparable manner to Code Assist tools. However, Google maintains that Code Assist differentiates itself through features like support for codebases hosted on-premises.

Recent Upgrades to Code Assist

Throughout the year, Code Assist has undergone several improvements, including enhanced code transformation capabilities and the introduction of an enterprise plan offering customized code suggestions based on private code repositories.

Developer Adoption of AI Coding Tools

Despite ongoing concerns regarding the security, copyright implications, and reliability of AI-powered coding assistance tools, developers have demonstrated considerable enthusiasm for their adoption. A recent GitHub poll revealed that the majority of respondents have integrated AI tools into their workflows. GitHub reported in April that Copilot had surpassed 1.8 million paying users and secured over 50,000 business clients.

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