Augment, a Competitor to GitHub Copilot, Launches

A startup called Augment, supported by Eric Schmidt, has emerged as a competitor to GitHub Copilot and secured $252M after operating in secrecy. AI is revolutionizing coding, with 44% of developers already using AI tools and 26% intending to do so … words)https://t.co/7OkAJ98YBq

— 0x4411 (@0xtyr473) April 24, 2024

A recent survey by StackOverflow found that almost half of software engineers now use AI tools in their work, and another quarter plan to start soon. Gartner, a research firm, says over half of companies are testing or already using AI tools to help write code, and they predict that three-quarters of developers will be using them by 2028.

Igor Ostrovsky, a former Microsoft developer, believes that soon, nearly all developers will be using AI. “Writing software can be tough and boring, especially on big projects,” he said. “AI can help make software better and make programming more fun.”

With this in mind, Ostrovsky created Augment, a new tool to help developers. Augment recently got $252 million in funding and is now valued at almost a billion dollars. Big investors like Eric Schmidt, a former Google CEO, and companies like Index Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners are backing Augment.

Ostrovsky has worked at Microsoft and a startup called Pure Storage. He knows that software projects can get complicated, with lots of bugs and requests for new features. Augment is meant to make things easier for programmers and companies, helping them make better software faster.

With its simple approach and strong support, Augment could change how software gets made, making it faster and better for everyone involved.

During discussions with Ostrovsky, details about Augment’s inner workings and the advanced AI models it employs remained scarce. However, he did hint at the utilization of high-quality open models, although specifics were not disclosed.

As for making money, Augment plans to charge for its services like any other software-as-a-service company. But we’ll have to wait a bit longer for details on pricing and such.

Ostrovsky seems confident in Augment’s future, thanks to their big funding and plans to expand their team and product. But it’s a tough market out there. Nearly every big tech company has its own AI coding helper. And there’s no shortage of startups in the game either, all trying to grab a piece of the pie.

But can they all play nice together? It’s doubtful. Running these AI tools isn’t cheap, and some startups have already run into trouble because of it. Even big players like GitHub Copilot aren’t turning a profit yet.

Ostrovsky says Augment has already gotten some traction, with lots of developers trying it out at companies like payment startup Keeta. But whether it’ll stick around for the long haul remains to be seen.

I’m also curious if Augment is doing anything to address the issues with code-generating AI, like the mistakes it can make or the security concerns it raises. Some studies have shown that AI helpers can actually make coding problems worse, and there are worries about the security of the code they produce.

Augment’s models were likely trained on data available to the public, like many other AI models. However, some of this data may be copyrighted or have restrictions. Some companies argue that they’re protected by fair use laws, but this hasn’t stopped coders from suing over alleged copyright violations.

Augment is based in Palo Alto and has about 50 employees. Ostrovsky expects that number to double by the end of the year.