Source URL: https://simonwillison.net/2024/Aug/20/introducing-zed-ai/#atom-everything
Source: Simon Willison’s Weblog
Title: Introducing Zed AI
Feedly Summary: Introducing Zed AI
The Zed open source code editor (from the original Atom team) already had GitHub Copilot autocomplete support, but now they’re introducing their own additional suite of AI features powered by Anthropic (though other providers can be configured using additional API keys).
The focus is on an assistant panel – a chatbot interface with additional commands such as /file myfile.py to insert the contents of a project file – and an inline transformations mechanism for prompt-driven refactoring of selected code.
The most interesting part of this announcement is that it reveals a previously undisclosed upcoming Claude feature from Anthropic:
For those in our closed beta, we’re taking this experience to the next level with Claude 3.5 Sonnet’s Fast Edit Mode. This new capability delivers mind-blowingly fast transformations, approaching real-time speeds for code refactoring and document editing.
LLM-based coding tools frequently suffer from the need to output the content of an entire file even if they are only changing a few lines – getting models to reliably produce valid diffs is surprisingly difficult.
This “Fast Edit Mode" sounds like it could be an attempt to resolve that problem. Models that can quickly pipe through copies of their input while applying subtle changes to that flow are an exciting new capability.
Via Hacker News
Tags: anthropic, claude, generative-ai, ai, llms
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The announcement surrounding Zed AI introduces new AI-powered features for the open-source code editor, leveraging capabilities from Anthropic’s Claude. Notably, the introduction of the “Fast Edit Mode” aims to enhance coding efficiency by enabling rapid, real-time transformations, addressing the common challenge in LLM-based coding tools that generate complete files rather than focused edits.
Detailed Description:
– **Introduction to Zed AI**: The Zed code editor, developed by the original Atom team, has enhanced its capabilities by integrating its own suite of AI features. Building on the existing support for GitHub Copilot, Zed now offers a chatbot interface for programming assistance and code interaction in real-time.
– **Key Features**:
– **Assistant Panel**: A chatbot interface that allows users to input commands and receive immediate support for coding tasks.
– **Inline Transformations**: Enable users to perform prompt-driven refactoring of code snippets without needing to produce entire files.
– **Claude 3.5 Sonnet’s Fast Edit Mode**:
– This new feature promises rapid transformations for code editing, nearly in real-time, which could significantly reduce the overhead associated with traditional file modifications in LLM (Large Language Model)-based coding tools.
– Acknowledges the common limitation of LLMs that, historically, require users to manipulate entire files rather than making precise edits. The “Fast Edit Mode” aims to tackle this problem by facilitating immediate and accurate modifications.
– **Implications for Developers**:
– The novelty of these features may streamline the coding process, offering developers a more efficient and collaborative approach to integrating AI into coding practices.
– By resolving the limitations previously faced in LLMs, this advancement may spark further innovations in software development, optimization, and automation.
– **Final Thoughts**: The introduction of Zed AI and its association with Claude 3.5 underscores the ongoing evolution in AI-assisted coding tools, potentially reshaping how developers approach software engineering tasks.
This update is relevant to professionals in the AI, software security, and infrastructure security sectors, as it highlights emerging trends and capabilities in AI integration within development environments.