I Tried Every AI Coding Assistant
TLDRThe video script offers a detailed review of various AI coding tools, including Tab 9, Chat GPT, GitHub Copilot, Bard, Amazon CodeWhisperer, Sourcegraph Cody, and Codium AI. The reviewer assesses their performance in code autocompletion, AI chat, code understanding, and generating test cases. The tools are categorized into different tiers based on their effectiveness, with GitHub Copilot and Codium AI standing out for their respective strengths in coding efficiency and test case generation. The script provides insights into the capabilities and limitations of each tool, aiming to guide developers in selecting the most suitable AI assistance for their needs.
Takeaways
- π The video provides a detailed review and comparison of various AI coding tools, including TabNine, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Bard, Amazon CodeWhisperer, Sourcegraph Code, and Codium AI.
- π οΈ TabNine is likened to GitHub Copilot, offering autocomplete code suggestions within IDEs, but lacks multi-line support and has some inaccuracies in its AI chat feature.
- π‘ ChatGPT is praised for its ability to provide extra context and hold conversations, but it may not be the best option for focused coding tasks due to context switching and occasional incorrect information.
- π GitHub Copilot stands out for its efficiency in coding tasks, providing comprehensive test cases and using the entire testing framework, making it a top choice for developers.
- π€ Bard, while similar to ChatGPT, is slightly less accurate and provides sources for further reading, making it useful but not as preferred as ChatGPT.
- π Amazon CodeWhisperer, Amazon's version of Copilot, offers autocomplete features but lacks the ability to understand entire code repositories effectively, placing it in the acceptable category.
- π Sourcegraph Code claims to understand entire code repositories but struggles with integrating with large codebases and providing accurate repository-specific suggestions.
- π Codium AI focuses on testing code and improving code quality, generating comprehensive test suites and offering detailed code explanations and suggestions.
- π Codium AI is recognized as the best test generator with excellent explanations and the ability to identify and suggest improvements for code, placing it in the 10x developer tier.
- π The video suggests using a combination of ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Codium AI for an efficient AI developer suite, catering to different aspects of development tasks.
- π The reviewer emphasizes the importance of choosing the right AI tool for specific tasks to enhance development efficiency and learning.
Q & A
What is the core functionality of Tab N?
-Tab N is an AI-powered coding assistant that provides autocomplete code suggestions within an IDE, such as VS Code, and includes a chat feature for asking coding-related questions.
How does the AI chat feature of Tab N handle questions about time complexity?
-The AI chat feature can correctly identify the time complexity of certain functions, such as factorial, as O(n), where n is the number of iterations. However, it may sometimes provide incorrect information, such as mistakenly stating that the time complexity is of N squared.
What issue did the user encounter with the factorial function provided by Tab N?
-The user found that the factorial function provided by Tab N would not work for negative inputs because it did not have a proper base case condition to handle negative numbers.
How does GitHub Copilot improve upon the functionality of Tab N?
-GitHub Copilot offers similar code autocompletion features but also provides the ability to handle edge cases, such as negative inputs in the factorial function, by suggesting improvements to the code logic.
What are the advantages of using Chat GPT as a coding tool?
-Chat GPT is useful for learning and provides a lot of extra context and conversational capabilities. However, it may not be the best option for coding tasks due to the potential for context switching and the possibility of receiving incorrect information without sources cited.
What is Bard, and how does it compare to Chat GPT?
-Bard is another AI coding tool that works similarly to Chat GPT. While it does cite sources, which can be helpful for verifying information, it may be slightly less accurate than Chat GPT in some cases.
How does Amazon CodeWhisper differ from GitHub Copilot?
-Amazon CodeWhisper is Amazon's version of an AI coding assistant, similar to GitHub Copilot, but it lacks a chat feature. It focuses on code autocompletion, but its performance in certain tasks, such as generating test cases, may not be as strong as Copilot's.
What is Sourcegraph Cody's unique feature compared to other AI coding tools?
-Sourcegraph Cody claims to understand the entire code repository and make suggestions based on it. However, in practice, it may not integrate with the repository as effectively as expected.
How does Codium AI differ from other AI coding tools?
-Codium AI is focused specifically on testing code and improving code quality. It does not attempt to be a comprehensive code completion tool but instead excels at generating test cases and providing code suggestions for better practices.
What are the user's final recommendations for an AI developer suite?
-The user plans to continue using Chat GPT, Codium AI, and GitHub Copilot as their AI developer suite, as these tools complement each other in learning, code improvement, and efficient coding practices.
What is the main complaint the user has about AI coding assistants in large codebases?
-The user's main complaint is that AI coding assistants are not as useful in large codebases with millions of files and thousands of lines of code, as they are in smaller projects.
Outlines
π» Introduction to AI Coding Tools
The paragraph introduces various AI coding tools such as Tab 9, Chat GPT, and GitHub Copilot. It discusses the functionality of these tools, such as code autocompletion and AI chat features. The user explores the capabilities of these tools by testing them with a factorial function, checking their accuracy in generating correct code and handling errors. The AI's ability to provide correct time complexity and its struggle with understanding the context are also highlighted.
π€ Chat GPT as a Coding Tool
This section focuses on the use of Chat GPT as a coding tool, noting its strengths in providing extra context and holding conversations, but also its weaknesses, such as causing context switching and sometimes providing incorrect information without sourcing. The user acknowledges Chat GPT's usefulness but places it in the 'actually useful' tier, suggesting there are better options available.
π GitHub Copilot's Advanced Features
GitHub Copilot is discussed as an advanced AI coding tool with an AI chat similar to Chat GPT and the ability to autocomplete code. The user tests the tool with a factorial function and merge sort, noting its ability to correct code issues and generate comprehensive test cases using a testing framework. The tool's efficiency in writing code and its exhaustive test case generation are praised, placing it in the top tier for developers.
π§ Comparing Bard and Amazon CodeWhisper
The paragraph compares Bard and Amazon CodeWhisper with Chat GPT. Bard is noted for sourcing information, which adds credibility, but is also seen as less accurate in some cases. Amazon CodeWhisper, while similar to GitHub Copilot, is considered less effective, especially when it comes to understanding the entire code repository. The user finds CodeWhisper's reference log feature interesting but overall finds it lacking in comparison to Copilot.
π Sourcegraph Cody's Repository Understanding
Sourcegraph Cody is examined for its unique ability to understand and make suggestions based on the entire code repository. The user tests this by asking for specific code logic from a task management application. However, Cody struggles to parse the codebase effectively and fails to provide accurate information. Despite decent code autocompletion and AI chatbot features, the tool's main selling point of repository integration is not as effective as expected.
π Codium AI's Focus on Testing
Codium AI is highlighted as a tool focused on testing and improving code. It generates a detailed test suite, covering various behaviors and providing excellent code explanations and suggestions. The user appreciates Codium AI's ability to identify areas in the code that need improvement and its focus on writing good test cases. Despite some minor imperfections, the tool's strengths in code testing and improvement make it a top choice for developers.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘AI coding tools
π‘Code completion
π‘Time complexity
π‘Chat GPT
π‘GitHub Copilot
π‘Code testing
π‘Code optimization
π‘Sourcegraph Cody
π‘Error handling
π‘Big O notation
π‘Code comments
Highlights
Tabnine is an AI coding assistant similar to GitHub Copilot that can autocomplete code within IDEs like VS Code.
Tabnine can provide the correct function for a given task, such as generating a factorial function.
The AI chat feature in Tabnine correctly identifies the time complexity of a factorial function as O(n) but inaccurately mentions it as N squared.
Tabnine can detect and suggest fixes for incorrect base cases in functions.
Chat GPT is a versatile tool that provides a lot of context and is great for learning, but may not be the best for focused coding tasks due to context switching.
GitHub Copilot has an AI chat similar to Chat GPT and can also autocomplete code with inline commands.
Copilot can handle negative inputs more effectively by suggesting conditional statements to manage edge cases.
GitHub Copilot can generate JSDoc comments and provide a comprehensive explanation of the code.
Copilot is praised for its efficiency in coding and its ability to generate exhaustive test cases using a testing framework.
Bard, like Chat GPT, provides source citations which can be helpful for verifying the correctness of the information.
Amazon CodeWhisper is Amazon's version of code-completion tools but lacks a chat feature and may perform worse than competitors like GitHub Copilot.
Sourcegraph Cody claims to understand entire code repositories and make suggestions based on the entire codebase, but struggles with integrating with the repository.
Codium AI excels at testing code and improving code quality by generating comprehensive test cases and providing detailed code explanations.
Codium AI can suggest code improvements, such as checking for positive numbers and avoiding stack overflow errors by using loops instead of recursion.
Codium AI's test case generation can identify errors in the code that the developer might have missed.
The reviewer plans to use Chat GPT, GitHub Copilot, and Codium AI as their AI developer suite for improved coding efficiency and quality.