In a recent announcement, GitLab has made its coding assistant, GitLab Duo Chat, widely accessible to users. The move is part of its effort to compete with GitHub Copilot in the field of AI-powered pair programming.
Duo Chat integrates GitLab's Duo suite of AI features into a user-friendly chat interface.
GitLab introduced the Duo Suite in June 2023, offering a variety of fresh tools to support DevSecOps teams. These include code recommendations, vulnerability explanations, problem overviews, and additional functionalities.
The company announced that these features will be accessible through Duo Chat throughout 2023. The service was initially released in beta in November of the same year.
Now available to all users in the GitLab interface is Duo Chat, accessible in GitLab's Web IDE and other commonly used IDEs like VS Code and the JetBrains suite of developer environments.
GitLab Introduces New Duo Chat Feature
GitLab has unveiled the addition of Duo Chat to its platform, along with the general availability of three key GitLab Duo features integrated into the chat interface. These functionalities aim to assist developers in tasks such as code interpretation, code restructuring, and test creation.
These functionalities assist users in understanding unfamiliar code snippets, updating current code, and automating test creation. This facilitates developers in detecting and resolving bugs more efficiently.
Stay Informed with Our Latest Updates
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, industry insights, and valuable resources. Subscribe now to access our complimentary report on the latest developments in AI cybercrime and security, updated for 2024.
GitLab's Latest Update: GitLab recently introduced Duo Chat, a feature tailored to assist developers during the onboarding process. This tool proves beneficial for developers seeking guidance on various queries, including instructions on initiating popular frameworks and managing password resets within GitLab.
The company emphasized that all Duo AI features would come with access controls, giving organizations complete control over sensitive data at different levels such as project, sub-group, and group.
Duo Chat is a feature included in GitLat Duo Pro, which can be obtained for $19 per user per month.
GitLab Duo Chat: A Tool That Appeals to Developers
GitLab Duo Chat is strategically positioned to capture the attention of developers.
GitLab Duo Chat joins a competitive market alongside GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, and Gemini Code Assist, offering users a variety of options to explore.
According to a survey by Gartner, a significant 63% of organizations had either started testing, implementing, or fully integrated AI coding assistants by the third quarter of 2023. This surge in adoption demonstrates a considerable growth in the use of these tools, in contrast to the mere 10% of developers utilizing coding assistants at the start of the year.
The competition is fierce in the race to be the preferred pair programming assistant, and GitLab Duo Chat faces a challenging task with other solutions supported by major cloud providers gaining an early lead in the market.
*GitHub Copilot*, a tool released to the public in February 2023, quickly amassed a significant user base. By October of the same year, it had attracted over 1 million paying customers from a diverse range of 37,000 organizations, as reported by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Speaking with ITPro, Martin Røed, the CTO and co-founder of AI software company Databutton, highlighted that GitLab, similar to GitHub, is well-positioned to attract a large number of users to quickly embrace its new chatbot. This is due to its ability to meet developers at their current location and seamlessly integrate Duo Chat into their existing workstream.
"As a comprehensive development platform, GitLab maintains a close connection with developers and their work processes, much like GitHub. GitLab offers a promising opportunity to enhance the intricate aspects of their workflow by leveraging LLMs, seamlessly integrating it into their existing stack."
Technically, GitLab Duo Chat seems to be comparable to GitHub Copilot, as suggested by Røed. The key factor that will determine their success in the coming years is how the models evolve and adapt.
"The Duo Chat predominantly utilizes the Claude 2 model developed by Anthropic. It is anticipated that they may also incorporate the Claude 3 Opus model when appropriate, as it shares comparable technical specifications with GitHub Copilot's model (GPT 3-4). The key distinctions are likely to emerge from the ongoing development of their chat agents."
During a discussion about GitLab's approach in comparison to GitHub Copilot, Rød expressed optimism even though Copilot has a significant advantage in the code assistant sector.
*He observed that the field is still in its early stages, suggesting that the most valuable solution for businesses will be one that seamlessly integrates with their current developer tools.*
"Unlike the competitive nature of code repositories, the code-generation sector allows for multiple players to thrive. While code generation currently dominates as the most utilized LLM use case (followed by customer support), it is crucial to acknowledge that we are in the initial stages of implementing this technology in practical settings," he elaborated.
"As we progress beyond benchmarks and top raw LLMs, the true value lies in their seamless integration into the current set of tools and their ability to significantly improve the practical development process."
