Exploring Sourcegraph's Levels of Code AI: A New Framework for Software Development

Welcome to my talk on the levels of Code AI, where we're building Cody, the only AI coding assistant that knows your entire codebase.

1. Otto Cookit, Director of Developer Relations at Sourcegraph, talks about their concept of "levels of code AI."
2. Code AI refers to software that builds software; currently, 92% of developers use code AI tools, up from just 1% a year ago.
3. Sourcegraph's founder and CEO, Quinn Slack, predicted that in 5 years, 99% of code will be written by AI.
4. There are six levels of code AI, divided into three categories: human-initiated (where humans are the primary coders), AI-initiated (where AI starts to take a proactive role), and AI-led (where AI
5. Level 0: Developers write all code manually without any AI assistance; IDE features like symbol name completion provide minimal help. This reflects traditional software development before AI was in
6. Level 1: Developers use AI that generates single lines or blocks of code based on developer intent; AI has been trained on millions of open-source code lines to provide superior completions based o
7. Level 2: The AI coding assistant understands the specific codebase, allowing for better suggestions for code completions tailored to the current project.
8. Levels 0-2 are similar to SAE levels of autonomy for vehicles, with full human control and assistance from AI.
9. Level 3: Developers provide high-level requirements, and the AI assistant delivers a code-based solution, building out full components and integrations.
10. At SAE level 3, vehicles take on the primary role of driving, with humans as fallbacks; similarly, level 3 code AI can handle coding tasks without developer oversight.
11. Level 4: The code AI assistant proactively handles coding tasks autonomously; it could monitor code changes and submit pull requests for documentation or bug fixes.
12. At SAE level 4, vehicles can perform virtually all driving tasks under specific conditions, with humans as a fallback; similarly, level 4 code AI assists developers in maintaining their projects w
13. Level 5: The AI assistant requires minimal guidance and handles the entire software development life cycle from architecture design to deployment and continuous improvement.
14. At SAE level 5, vehicles perform all driving tasks under all conditions with no human intervention; level 5 code AI can take code from concept to production without human interaction.
15. Sourcegraph believes these six levels provide a useful framework for understanding the evolution of code AI and its impact on software development.
16. They welcome feedback and discussion on this topic, particularly at the AI Engineer Summit.
17. The presentation aims to educate customers and users while also shaping Sourcegraph's thinking about code AI.
18. Code AI is a rapidly evolving field, with significant potential to change how software development is done.
19. Understanding these levels can help developers anticipate and adapt to the changes brought by code AI.
20. Code AI has the potential to increase efficiency, reduce errors, and improve overall software quality.
21. As code AI evolves, it's crucial for developers to remain informed about its capabilities and limitations.
22. Discussions like this one help advance the field of code AI and ensure its responsible adoption in software development.
23. By engaging with the developer community, Sourcegraph hopes to foster a better understanding of code AI and its potential impact on the industry.
24. The presentation concludes by inviting the audience to visit booth G5 for further discussion and encouraging them to try Cody, Sourcegraph's AI coding assistant, in their preferred IDE.

Source: AI Engineer via YouTube

❓ What do you think? What are your thoughts on the ideas shared in this video? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!