Google Launches GitHub Copilot Alternative: Now Generally Available and Set to Integrate with the Gemini Model

Google Unveils Duet AI for Developers: Now Available with Enhanced Capabilities

Google has officially launched Duet AI for Developers, a suite of AI-driven tools aimed at code completion and generation, which was first announced earlier this year. In a significant upgrade, this tool will soon leverage Google’s advanced Gemini model to enhance its performance and capabilities.

As code completion and generation tools become increasingly popular—highlighted by GitHub Copilot's dominance—Google has set itself apart by collaborating with 25 partner companies to utilize their datasets. These partnerships aim to support developers in building and troubleshooting applications effectively. Notable partners such as Confluent, HashiCorp, and MongoDB will contribute data to enhance Duet AI for Developers' coding assistance.

While partner data will primarily elevate the coding experience, companies like Datadog, JetBrains, and LangChain will provide valuable documentation and knowledge bases that are particularly beneficial for the Duet AI chat feature. This integration allows development and operations teams to access guidance on creating test automation, addressing production issues, and managing vulnerabilities.

"I still pretend to be a developer and lead a team of engineers who handle developer relations and all of our documentation," shared Richard Seroter, Google Cloud's chief evangelist, during a pre-launch press briefing. "Every day, we witness ongoing challenges in software development. Our goal is to reduce mundane tasks and improve the coding experience through AI. We're striving to build an AI assistant that integrates seamlessly into the tools developers already use, with that distinct Google touch.”

How does Google infuse its signature approach into these tools? By ensuring the model is trained on cutting-edge cloud-native practices and incorporating it within the Google Cloud Console, in addition to integrating with widely-used IDEs.

Seroter emphasized that Google views the entire Duet AI product line—including the newly available Duet AI in Security Operations—as an enterprise-ready solution. Features such as enterprise access controls and Google’s indemnification guarantee are designed to meet the needs of businesses looking to implement these tools in production.

Similar to other vendors in the market, Google’s narrative around its AI coding tools presents code completion within familiar IDEs as a means to enhance developer workflow. Furthermore, Google shares the belief that these tools won’t replace essential coding skills; rather, they will significantly boost developer productivity. For instance, Turing, an AI-driven tech services firm, reported a remarkable 33% increase in productivity after adopting Duet AI for Developers.

Currently, Duet AI for Developers supports over 20 programming languages, including C, C++, Java, JavaScript, and Python. Beyond standard coding functionalities, it offers AI log summarization and error explanation, seamlessly integrated with Google Cloud Logging. Moreover, features like Smart Actions serve as one-click shortcuts for common tasks, such as unit test generation.

For a limited time until January 31, 2024, Duet AI for Developers will be offered free of charge. Following this period, the service will be available for $19 per user per month with an annual subscription commitment.

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