I recently reported how Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are now entering the AI code space. Microsoft's GitHub Copilot X is the mature option at this point, while Amazon has recently announced the free CodeWhisperer. Google is now upgrading its Bard AI chatbot to also be a code creator, debugger, and explainer.
Google has announced a new update for its experimental AI chatbot, Bard, that adds support for code generation, code debugging and explanation in 20 programming languages. This means that users can now ask Bard to write, fix or explain code snippets in languages such as Python, Java, C#, JavaScript, Ruby and more.
Google´s recently launched Bard-Chatbot has raised some controversy among content creators, who claim that the chatbot does not properly cite or link to the sources of its information. Bard is now available in limited preview for users in the United States.
It is a natural language processor (NLP) generative AI similar to ChatGPT. However, ChatGPT is more mature and has already been upgraded several times, currently running on the GPT-4 AI model from OpenAI.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently told 60 Minutes that the chatbot is still a prototype, which calling on regulations for AI technology.
Despite those concerns, the company is pressing ahead with the development of Bard. With the new update, Google is pushing towards helping developers, students and enthusiasts who want to learn or improve their coding skills.
Users can simply type their coding questions or requests in natural language, and Bard will generate multiple drafts of possible responses for them to choose from. Users can also ask follow-up questions or have Bard try again if they are not satisfied with the results.
Google says that Bard's code generation, code debugging and explanation features are still experimental and may not always produce accurate or optimal results. Users are advised to verify Bard's outputs before using them in their projects. Users can also provide feedback to Google to help improve Bard's performance and capabilities.
Growth of Coding with AI
GitHub Copilot was launched in 2021 as an AI program co-development between Microsoft and partner OpenAI. The program launched fully in 2022, giving users AI automated code that fills in gaps in their own projects. Last month, Microsoft introduced GitHub Copilot X, which integrates OpenAI's GPT-4 AI model into the service.
GitHub Copilot has been receiving widespread criticism from open-source copyright advocates since its launch. Many claim it is unfair that the project scrapes the code of other users without attributing it to them.
The service is currently involved in a class action lawsuit by Matthew Butterick, who claims Microsoft is violating GitHub's policies and code ethics such as attribution. Elsewhere, a recent study shows Copilot may produce less accurate and less secure code than human developers.
Google recently partnered with Replit to bring the Ghostwriter AI code programming tool to its users. The two companies have entered a strategic partnership the will give Replit developers access to Google Cloud and customers of Google Cloud will get Replit's Ghostwriter software development AI.
Tip of the day: If you plan to integrate Google Bard, ChatGPT or similar chatbots into apps and services, good coding skills are essential. Turing College is an online coding school where everybody can learn or improve their coding skills comfortably from home.
Last Updated on May 9, 2023 5:03 pm CEST by Markus Kasanmascheff
