Google Unveils Free AI Coding Assistant with Generous Usage Limits

On Tuesday, Google introduced a free version of its AI-powered coding assistant, Gemini Code Assist for Individuals. The company also unveiled Gemini Code Assist for GitHub, an AI-driven review tool designed to detect bugs and suggest fixes directly within GitHub.

Gemini Code Assist for Individuals allows developers to interact with Google’s AI model through a chat interface, enabling natural language conversations about their codebase. Similar to GitHub Copilot, it can debug, complete code snippets, and clarify confusing sections of code.

Powered by Gemini 2.0, Seamlessly Integrating with Top Development Tools

The assistant runs on a specialized variant of Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI model, fine-tuned for coding tasks. It integrates seamlessly with popular development environments like VS Code and JetBrains via plugins and supports multiple programming languages.

Gemini Code Assist for Individuals offers 180,000 code completions per month, which is 90 times the limit of GitHub Copilot’s free plan (2,000 completions per month). It also allows 240 chat requests per day, nearly five times the number permitted by GitHub Copilot’s free tier.

The model behind Code Assist for Individuals features a 128,000-token context window, which Google claims is more than four times larger than competing offerings. This expanded capacity enables the AI to process more code in a single request, making it better suited for complex codebases.

Developers can sign up for the free public preview of Gemini Code Assist for Individuals starting Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Gemini Code Assist for GitHub automatically scans pull requests to identify bugs and provide additional recommendations.

Google Intensifies Rivalry with Microsoft and GitHub in Developer Tools

Google is ramping up its competition with Microsoft and GitHub in the developer tools space with the launch of these two AI coding assistants. Seven months ago, the company hired Ryan Salva, former leader of the GitHub Copilot team, to drive its developer tooling efforts.

By offering a free AI coding assistant with generous usage caps, Google aims to attract early-career developers to Code Assist, Salva told TechCrunch. The strategy is to build familiarity with the tool, hoping some developers will later upgrade to an enterprise plan, where Google generates revenue.

Google has been selling Gemini Code Assist to businesses for about a year. In December, the company announced that the assistant would soon integrate with third-party platforms like GitLab, GitHub, and Google Docs. Enterprise tiers offer additional features such as audit logs, integration with Google Cloud, and customization for private repositories.

Read the original article on: TechCrunch

Read more: Google’s Gemini AI Beats GPT & Human Experts Across 57 Subjects