At least that's what startup developer Cognition claims, a new AI startup backed by big names has announced its development: Devin, an artificial intelligence tool that claims to be the world's first fully autonomous software engineer. Discuss© Ferra
Unlike existing coding assistants such as Github Copilot, Devin goes beyond simply suggesting code. He is capable of leading entire software development projects – from initial planning to bug fixes and final execution. It is noteworthy that it can even work with projects on freelance platforms like Upwork.
Through the chatbot interface, users provide Devin with a description of the project in natural language. Devin then takes charge, develops a step-by-step plan, and uses his own virtual development environment with tools such as a code editor and browser. He writes code, fixes bugs, runs tests, and reports progress in real time, allowing users to monitor his work.
Current demos show Devin's diverse skillset. It handles routine tasks like deploying websites and applications, identifying and fixing bugs, and even tackling complex areas like fine-tuning large language models.
In one example, Devin learned how to generate images with hidden messages from a simple blog post. Another example is the successful completion of a project on Upwork that required writing and debugging code for a computer vision model.
Devin is currently in closed beta, available only to select users. As Ashley Vance of Bloomberg reports, first impressions were positive.