Apple is gearing up to announce a new version of the Xcode development suite supplemented with generative AI that would allow developers to write code faster with AI assistance, reads a new Bloomberg report.
The company is reportedly “nearing the completion” of a generative AI-enabled Xcode release that will likely be unveiled as soon as WWDC 2024 in June. This new Xcode version will feature generative AI capabilities similar to that of Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot, allowing developers to generate code based on natural language requests and predict and autofill blocks of code automatically.
With this step, Apple hopes that Xcode developers can save time and financial resources coding their apps on the platform. The report also states that the company is working on using generative AI to assist in creating code for testing purposes. Apple has reportedly begun asking its engineers to start using Xcode AI features as a way to test them before their eventual launch for third-party developers, which is planned for later this year.
GitHub Copilot, launched in 2021, allows developers to interact with their code via generative AI. For example, developers can translate blocks of code from one programming language to another, and can also describe the functionality of input code in plain English. This can help developers navigate obscure code with poor documentation more easily.
Microsoft charges a monthly subscription fee of $10 at minimum to use GitHub Copilot. While Xcode is free to download and use, the company charges $99 per year to gain access to an Apple Developer account that allows App Store distribution. So far, it remains unclear if the company is looking to monetize generative AI features for Xcode or whether they will be accessible for free for everyone.
The report adds that Apple continues to work on generative AI features across the board as part of the planned iOS 18 and macOS 15 updates, with the former said to be one of the biggest-ever software releases for the iPhone. Other AI features on the table reportedly span autogenerated Apple Music playlists and Keynote slideshows, revamped Siri and Spotlight search based on Large Language Models (LLMs), and much more.
