Apple and Anthropic have reportedly partnered to create a platform that will use artificial intelligence (AI) to write, edit and test code for programmers.
Apple has started rolling out the coding software to its own engineers, Bloomberg reported Friday (May 2). The company hasn’t decided whether to make it available to third-party app developers.
The tool generates code or alterations in response to requests made by programmers through a chat interface. It also tests user interfaces and manages the process of finding and fixing bugs, according to the report.
It was reported in August that while generative AI is not yet making money in some fields, it has quickly proven its value in powering coding assistants.
As of the time of that report, one AI coding assistant, the Microsoft-owned GitHub Copilot, had drawn nearly 2 million paying subscribers since its launch in 2022 and contributed to a 45% year-over-year increase in GitHub’s revenue.
Amazon, Meta, Google and several startups have also built AI assistants for writing and editing code.
McKinsey said in 2023 that AI could boost the productivity of software engineering by 20% to 45%.
This increased efficiency has far-reaching implications for businesses across industries, CPO and CTO Bob Rogers of Oii.ai told PYMNTS in an interview posted in May 2024. AI-powered tools enable developers to create software and applications faster and with fewer resources.
“Simple tasks such as building landing pages, basic website design, report generation, etc., can all be done with AI, freeing up time for programmers to focus on less tedious, more complex tasks,” Rogers said. “It’s important to remember that while generative AI can augment skills and help folks learn to code, it cannot yet directly replace programmers — someone still needs to design the system.”
It was reported in April that OpenAI was in discussions with Windsurf, an AI-powered coding tool, to acquire the technology.
Windsurf, formally known as Exafunction, had recently been in discussions with investors to raise $3 billion. Last year, the firm was valued at $1.25 billion in a deal led by General Catalyst.
OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said in April that OpenAI is building an AI agent that can do all the work of software engineers, not just augment their skills.