Google Just Made AI Coding Assistance Free. Here’s Why It Matters
Writers are persnickety creatures. George R.R. Martin wrote all of the Game of Thrones books using DOS and the WordStar word processor — both artifacts from the 1980s. But when it comes to fussiness about their tools, writers of words don’t hold a candle to writers of code.
We coders are extremely particular about the coding environments and setups we use. Many of us work on codebases with hundreds of thousands to millions of lines of code. A misplaced semicolon or period might be all that stands between working code and legions of users banging down our doors with pitchforks and torches, or, even worse, a marketing guy insisting on shipping our product this quarter.
The Rise of Integrated AI Tools
When generative AI tools like ChatGPT were first released, many coders were amazed that the AIs could help us code. That was good enough. But over time, as we integrated AI into our coding workflow, it became apparent that constantly copying and pasting code snippets into various browser tabs was not only annoying – it was inefficient.
Free AI Coding Assistant for Individuals
Last year, Google unveiled Gemini Code Assist. I was cautiously optimistic because some of the capabilities seemed really quite useful. On the other hand, Gemini at the time passed only one of my four coding tests, positioning it at the bottom of the good-at-coding ladder we regularly update here on ZDNET. It’s all well and good to have an in-IDE coding interface, but only if the code produced actually works.
Generous Usage and IDE Integration
But it’s not just that the tool is now available for free. A bunch of the integrated AI development tools have free trials or limited functionality. Essentially, you can try them out, but just as soon as they prove to be useful, you hit a wall and either pay or lose out. Often, the way AI providers limit access is based on the number of queries or code completions performed each month.
AI-Powered Code Reviews with GitHub
Concurrent with the announcement of the free availability and generous code completion capacity of Gemini Code Assist, Google is also announcing Gemini Code Assist for GitHub. This is a tool that works on GitHub that allows developers to perform code reviews on pull requests or check-ins. This causes Gemini to look through the code and point out problem areas that might need more attention.
Coding Help for Everyone
What do you think about Google making Gemini Code Assist free? Have you tried AI-powered coding tools before? If so, how do they compare? Do you see AI code reviews as a helpful addition to your workflow, or do you prefer human reviews? Will the generous code completion limit make AI a bigger part of your development process? Let us know in the comments below.
Conclusion
Google’s decision to make Gemini Code Assist free is a significant step forward in making AI coding assistance more accessible to individuals. With the generous code completion limit, developers can now try out AI-powered coding tools without worrying about running out of queries. This could lead to a significant increase in the adoption of AI-powered coding tools, making it easier for developers to create high-quality code and improving the overall efficiency of the development process.
FAQs
Q: What is Gemini Code Assist?
A: Gemini Code Assist is an AI-powered coding assistant that helps developers write code more efficiently and accurately.
Q: Is Gemini Code Assist available for free?
A: Yes, Gemini Code Assist is now available for free for individuals, with a generous code completion limit of 180,000 per month.
Q: What IDEs is Gemini Code Assist available on?
A: Gemini Code Assist is available on VS Code, JetBrains IDEs (like phpStorm), Firebase, and Android Studio.
Q: How does Gemini Code Assist work on GitHub?
A: Gemini Code Assist is available on GitHub, allowing developers to perform code reviews on pull requests or check-ins, and pointing out problem areas that might need more attention.
