Q Developer: Formerly Amazon CodeWhisperer, Expanding Functions

Amazon’s AI-powered assistive coding tool, CodeWhisperer, has undergone a transformation and is now known as Q Developer, a part of Amazon’s Q family of generative AI chatbots. Q Developer, available through AWS, aims to assist developers in tasks like debugging, upgrading apps, troubleshooting, and security scans.

In an interview with TechCrunch, Doug Seven, GM and director of AI developer experiences at AWS, mentioned that CodeWhisperer faced challenges in gaining traction compared to its rival GitHub Copilot. As a result, the rebranding to Q Developer was done to encompass a wider range of use cases and provide a more comprehensive tool for developers.

Q Developer can generate code in SQL, assist with testing, and help in implementing new code based on developer queries. It also offers the capability to fine-tune recommendations on internal codebases and automate tasks like feature implementation and code refactoring.

The tool can also manage a company’s cloud infrastructure on AWS, providing information and generating AWS Command Line Interface commands. Q Developer is available for free with limitations, while the premium version, Q Developer Pro, offers higher usage limits, user management tools, and IP indemnity for $19 per month per user.

However, concerns have been raised about the potential risks of AI-powered coding assistants, including the introduction of bugs and security issues in software projects. Despite these challenges, Amazon is confident in the capabilities of Q Developer and is prepared to defend customers against claims of IP infringement.

Overall, the evolution of CodeWhisperer into Q Developer represents Amazon’s commitment to providing developers with a powerful and versatile tool to streamline their coding processes and enhance productivity in the ever-evolving tech landscape.