The advent of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), such as IntelliSense in Microsoft Visual Studio, enabled software developers to leverage code completion capabilities, quick info tooltips, and context-aware information about APIs and libraries.
These features date back to the 1990s—and we’ve come a long way since then. Today, businesses across various industries are integrating AI-powered coding agents to support their development teams.
Is your organization making the most of this new technology? If not, it’s high time you explore how these tools can enhance your competitive edge.
The Move Beyond Auto-Complete
Most coding agents are now capable of suggesting code, assisting with debugging and improving overall development efficiency.
In addition to quickly implementing code snippets without extensive searches, these tools help you:
Refactor code efficiently without affecting functionality
Avoid common pitfalls in specific programming languages or frameworks
Gain immediate insights into third-party libraries and APIs for smoother integration
Comparing the Top Coding Agents
Google Transforms Software Development with Duet AI
Slow developer onboarding, excessive context switching, and high maintenance costs overwhelm today’s developers as they strive for excellence. If these issues feel too familiar, then you’ll surely appreciate Google’s Duet AI, with a goal to help developers accelerate software delivery velocity.
Duet AI provides assistive development, operations, exploration, and security, empowering you to meet a wide range of use cases.
This on-demand webinar contains a comprehensive demo of Duet AI and features important questions from your peers.
See a quick overview of Duet AI’s capabilities and areas of improvement:
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Using JetBrains As Your IDE
Imagine you’re writing a three-tier web application: Front end, back end, and database. After inevitably running into an error, your journey to identify and fix the bug begins.
Usually, you’ll have to check the browser to see the error, switch to the terminal for any output, go to the editor to see the code, then, to the database browser to examine the schema, to the container app … In other words, it’s a daunting process, to say the least.
JetBrains sought to help developers tackle this challenge, providing a solution that enhances the entire coding journey: JetBrains Fleet.
This lightweight code editor is made by the same team behind tools like IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm. It’s fast and simple to use, but with one click, it can turn into a full development tool.
Fleet supports many programming languages, allows multiple people to code together, and includes smart tools like an AI assistant that helps with code completion, understanding code, and writing documentation. It’s also designed to make coding easier with minimal setup and quick switching between projects.
The World’s First AI Software Engineer?
In March, Cognition Labs caught the attention of software engineers by introducing “Devin,” which they called the “first AI software engineer” and believe that it will set a new standard for coding.
Right now, Devin is closed-source and in private beta, so we don’t know much about how it works, apart from the fact that it can:
Autonomously complete various software engineering tasks
Learn new technologies on its own
Build and deploy applications
Fix bugs in code
Trains AI models
Contribute to open-source projects
Raising $21M in funding, Devin is displaying some interesting capabilities, such as its adaptability to unfamiliar technologies (like seamlessly planting secret words in images).
As of September 05, Devin has evolved significantly. It’s now faster, more accurate, more reliable, and better at independent decision-making.
o1 Preview Is Available!
GPT-5, Orion, Q*, and Strawberry: All names that leaked out of Open AI in recent months.
Staying true to their habit of shocking the industry, Open AI released a new model ahead of schedule: o1. This new series of AI models is designed to spend more time thinking before responding. In their example for coders, Jason Wei (Researcher) uses a coding prompt that o1 Preview is able to seamlessly do but previous models struggle with.
When it comes to benchmarks, they’re as promising as ever: o1 outperforms GPT-4o on many benchmarks, including 54/57 MMLU subcategories.
However, for many companies, impressive benchmarks often lead to hefty price tags. OpenAI executives are reportedly considering raising subscription prices up to $2,000.
With subscription prices potentially rising, businesses must carefully evaluate whether the performance improvements justify the costs. This brings us to the crucial step of validating vendor claims to ensure that the product truly meets expectations before making a significant investment.
Validating Vendor Claims
To ensure you select the right coding agent, it’s important to critically evaluate vendor claims. These steps will help ensure code agent investment success:
Request demonstrations: See the product in action
Check references: Speak with current users to understand their experiences
Assess return on investment: Analyze whether the benefits justify the costs
Ensure compatibility: Verify that the tool integrates well with your existing systems
Consider scalability: Choose a solution that can grow with your organization
Assembling Your Investment Task Force
With numerous vendors offering similar solutions, it’s important to involve key stakeholders in the decision-making process to ensure the chosen tool aligns with your organization’s needs.
We recommend you include your:
Project manager to oversee the selection process to meet both business and technical requirements
Finance team to evaluate the investment to ensure it fits within the budget and, more importantly, offers a good return
C-suite/sponsors to confirm that the purchase aligns with company objectives
Working together ensures a good fit and long-term benefits for your organization. By involving these key team members, you can choose an AI coding tool that meets your needs and supports your company’s success.
Conclusion
What was once a futuristic idea has become an essential strategy for modern development teams.
Tools like Google’s Duet AI, JetBrains Fleet, and new solutions like Devin and OpenAI’s o1 model are changing how developers code, debug, and work together. These agents not only boost efficiency but also help developers tackle complex tasks more easily.
But with so many options, it’s important to choose wisely. By carefully checking vendor claims, thinking about the return on investment, and involving key team members to make sure the tool fits your organization’s goals and technical needs.
Adopting these advanced coding agents puts your organization at the forefront of innovation. This helps you overcome common development challenges, speed up software delivery, and stay competitive in a fast-changing industry.
