At the Cloud Next Conference, Google unveiled its enterprise-focused AI Code completion and assistance tool, Gemini Code Assist, which is available in public preview for Apigee API Management and Application Integration.
Earlier, the company offered a similar service under the Duet AI branding, available in various Google Cloud Services, including Apigee and Application Integration. Gemini Code Assist is a new version of Duet AI with significant improvements. It can process up to 1 million tokens, four times more data than Anthropic's Claude 3 model and eight times more than OpenAI's GPT-4 Turbo. This means that Code Assist can perform complex tasks such as analyzing code libraries, understanding lengthy documents, and holding more extended conversations more easily.
Michael Vakoc and Pramodh Ramesh, both product managers at Google, write:
Gemini Code Assist understands enterprise context, such as security schemas, API patterns, integrations, etc., and uses it to provide tailored recommendations for your use case. Furthermore, using Gemini Code Assist lets you iterate on your existing API or integration in development instead of prompting from scratch.
With Gemini Code Assist, API creation in Apigee, a managed API Broker service in the Google Cloud, can be easier for developers. If the available API specifications on API Hub don't match developers' needs, Gemini allows them to describe their requirements in plain language to generate a tailored specification. In addition, Gemini Code Assist provides clear guidance on adding new policy configurations during API proxy creation. It explains existing configurations, easing the learning curve for updates and maintenance.
Gemini Code Assist provides guidance and explanations during API proxy creation (Source: Google Cloud blog post)
Richard Seroter, chief evangelist at Google Cloud, tweeted:
Apigee also got the Gemini Code Assist fever. I like this new ability to create and use specs to generate APIs. And it’s cool that it factors in existing API objects.
Google’s standalone Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) solution with Gemini Code Assist allows developers to easily create automation flows by describing their needs. For instance, they can automate tasks like updating CRM cases from newly created issues in bug-tracking systems. Users can issue prompts to Gemini or utilize one-click suggestions within the interface. Drawing from enterprise contexts such as APIs and applications, Gemini proposes tailored flows for the use case. It automatically generates variables and pre-configures tasks, readying the integration for immediate use.
Extending integration flows with proactive suggestions from Gemini Code Assist (Source: Google Cloud blog post)
In addition, Gemini responds to prompts, proactively suggests optimizations, and facilitates one-click extensions to existing flows, reducing maintenance efforts. The visual interface of Application Integration makes the flow self-explanatory, aiding new user onboarding. Additionally, Gemini generates intelligent descriptions based on existing configurations.
Gemini Code Assist is a competitive offering compared to GitHub Copilot Enterprise, and Microsoft has services with embedded AI assistance with Microsoft Copilot. This Copilot is in preview for Azure API Management, an API broker similar to Apigee, and for Logic Apps, comparable to Application Integration.