Addy Osmani – The Ai-Assisted Developer Workflow - Build Faster and Smarter Today, JSNation US 2024
AI Summary
Video Summary: AI Transforming Software Engineering
Introduction
- Speaker: Addie Osmani, Engineering Lead at Google
- Topic: How AI agents assist in coding and software engineering
AI Agents and Coding
- AI agents shorten the gap from idea to functional prototype.
- Example: An 11-year-old built an app between dinner and bedtime using an AI agent.
- AI agents lower barriers for app development.
AI Agents Defined
- Agents autonomously complete tasks or make decisions based on data.
- They understand tasks, plan steps, execute actions, and adapt to the environment.
Real-World Examples
- Taxi AI: Protects GitHub repository branches by creating and applying branch protection rules.
- Agent.exe: Navigates to Google Flights and completes search details for flights.
AI Agents in Code Generation
- Agents offer a nuanced approach: outline plans, generate code, run tests, detect bugs, and fix issues.
- They act as collaborators, not just output generators.
AI Agent Stack and Evolution
- The AI agent stack is extensive, including model serving, storage, vector databases, and more.
- Agents will evolve in reflection, external tool usage, planning, and multi-agent collaboration.
Automating Code with Agents
- VZer (from Vercel): AI interface builder that generates code and provides live previews.
- Bolt (from StackBlitz): Full-stack environment control, including file system and package management.
- Co-pilot: AI auto-completion and code generation in editors with model selection.
- Cursor: Fork of VS Code built for AI integration with full codebase awareness.
- Klein (formerly Claude Dev): VS Code extension with in-class agentic coding abilities.
Guidelines for Coding with Agents
- Precisely define requirements for desired outputs.
- Choose the right model for the task to impact performance and cost.
- Plan for token limits to avoid interruptions.
- Frequent testing is vital to catch unintended modifications.
Conclusion
- AI agents represent a significant opportunity for developers.
- They facilitate a quicker transition from idea to execution.
- As workflows mature, there will be a shift in how developers approach software building.
Speaker’s Closing
- Addie Osmani concludes the talk, emphasizing the potential of AI agents in software engineering.