π€ Everyone can create apps and services with AI
π€ Everyone can create apps and services with AI
Dear curious minds,
In this issue, we explore how AI is democratizing coding and empowering developers at all levels. You will understand how generative AI can help experienced developers and new coders to bring their imagination to the digital world.
In this issue:
π‘ Shared Insight
AI Empowers Developers at All Levels
π° AI Update
Zed: AI-Assisted Coding in a Powerful Open-Source Text Editor
Claude Update: Artifacts For All, Mobile Integration, and System Prompt
π Media Recommendation
Podcast: Pieter Levels AI-Powered Solo Entrepreneurship at the Lex Fridman Podcast
π‘ Shared Insight
AI Empowers Developers at All Levels
In recent years, we've witnessed a massive shift in the world of software development. The advent of AI-assisted programming is not just changing how we code; it's redefining who can code. This transformation is bridging the gap between novices and experts, creating a new paradigm where the power to build digital solutions is increasingly accessible to all.
The Evolution of Simplified Development
The rise of no-code platforms has been the first wave in this revolution, allowing individuals with little to no programming experience to create functional applications. However, the integration of generative AI into the development process is taking this empowerment to new heights.
The hype around AI-assisted programming began with the launch of GitHub Copilot in 2021. This tool, which integrates directly into popular code editors like Visual Studio Code, acts as an AI pair programmer, offering code suggestions and even complete functions. It marked a significant leap forward in how we approach coding, reducing the learning curve for newcomers and supercharging the productivity of experienced developers.
Fast-forward to today, and the coding community is excited over a new combination: The code editor Cursor AI, which is a fork of Visual Studio Code, paired with Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet model. This powerful duo is capturing the attention of developers on Twitter and beyond, promising even more advanced capabilities in code completion, refactoring, and natural language to code translation.
However, proprietary solutions aren't the only players in this game. Zed is an open-source code editor that is rapidly gaining traction. With an impressive 45,000 stars on GitHub, Zed is far from an unknown entity in the developer community. What's particularly exciting is their recent update, which now allows users to leverage the capabilities of Claude 3.5 Sonnet for free, at least for now (more to this in the βAI Updateβ section of this issue). This move significantly lowers the barrier to entry for developers looking to experiment with cutting-edge AI assistance.
The Implications
These advancements in AI-assisted programming are set to have far-reaching effects:
Democratization of App Development: The tools are becoming so intuitive that individuals with minimal programming experience can now build their own apps or services. This democratization of software development could lead to an explosion of innovation across various sectors.
Supercharged Productivity for Pros: For experienced developers, these AI assistants can dramatically increase productivity. This efficiency boost could enable more developers to venture into solo entrepreneurship, potentially leading to a new wave of tech startups.
Conclusion
As we stand on the brink of this AI-powered programming revolution, one thing is clear: the way we approach software development is changing fundamentally. Whether you're a seasoned coder or a curious newcomer, the tools to build the next great application are becoming more accessible than ever before.
π° AI Update
Zed: AI-Assisted Coding in a Powerful Open-Source Text Editor
Zed, a fast and modern open-source text editor designed for developers, has recently introduced an exciting new feature called Zed AI.
The developers behind Zed are the same team that created the popular Atom editor. Atom, built with modern web technology by GitHub in 2014, was known for its extensibility and customization options. However, Zed takes a different approach, focusing on performance by being written in Rust and a custom GPU-accelerated user interface. Furthermore, Zed intends to bring a strong core functionality, rather than relying heavily on plugins.
While Zed has supported AI features previously through API integrations or local models via Ollama, they've now introduced a new option: Zed AI. This hosted service integrates Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet, a state-of-the-art language model, directly into the Zed editor. Currently, this service is free to use after logging in with your GitHub account, making it easily accessible to developers.
Key features of Zed AI include:
Assistant Panel: A full-fledged text editor interface for interacting with the AI model, offering complete transparency and control over the context provided to the AI.
Slash Commands: Easily insert relevant context from your codebase, terminal output, or even external sources using commands like
/file,/tab, and/fetch.Inline Transformations: Transform and generate code using natural language prompts, with real-time streaming of AI-generated changes.
Prompt Caching: Optimized for fast responses, even when working with large codebases.
Extensibility: The system is designed to be extended with custom slash commands and workflows.
One of the exciting goals for Zed is the implementation of a multiplayer mode. This feature will allow multiple developers to work simultaneously on a shared codebase, fostering real-time collaboration and potentially revolutionizing pair programming and code review processes.
My take: Using the currently best model for coding, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, is currently available for free via Zed AI during its initial launch period. Furthermore, you can easily use local AI models via the Ollama integration. The latter is especially useful for coding at companies that restrict the usage of cloud-based models or in scenarios without a reliable internet connection. Developers interested in AI-assisted coding and a high-performance editor should consider giving Zed a try and compare the editor to Visual Studio Code, Cursor AI or whatever they are currently using.
Claude Update: Artifacts For All, Mobile Integration, and System Prompt
Anthropic has rolled out "Artifacts" to all Claude users, including those on free plans and mobile apps. Artifacts are dedicated windows that allow users to instantly view, iterate on, and build content with Claude. This feature enables creation of everything from code snippets and flowcharts to SVG graphics and interactive dashboards.
Artifacts can now also be created and viewed on the iOS and Android apps of Claude.
In a move towards transparency, Anthropic has released the system prompts used for their different Claude models. They've committed to continue sharing these prompts in the future.
The most detailed system prompt is used for chats with their currently best model, Claude 3.5 Sonnet. In summary:
Claude is instructed to be direct in responses, avoiding unnecessary affirmations.
It's programmed to give concise answers to simple queries, but offer more detailed responses for complex topics.
Claude is designed to think through problems step-by-step before providing final answers.
It's instructed to remind users about potential inaccuracies when discussing very obscure topics.
Claude is programmed to be "face blind" when analyzing images containing human faces.
My take: These updates showcase Anthropic's commitment to making AI assistance more collaborative, transparent, and accessible across platforms. Nevertheless, I still prefer the ChatGPT app due to its additional features (comparison shared in the last issue) and the artifact enabled system prompt is so far not shared. For the latter, the only information available is a leak which shows a very high complexity. Fascinating, but sadly not confirmed.
π Media Recommendation
Podcast: Pieter Levels AI-Powered Solo Entrepreneurship at the Lex Fridman Podcast
In a recent Lex Fridman Podcast episode, indie hacker genius Pieter Levels offers a fascinating look into the world of AI-powered entrepreneurship. Pieter's journey through the AI landscape is a treasure trove of practical insights and forward-thinking ideas.
From fine-tuning image generation models for interior design over AI-generated portrait photos to leveraging GPT-4 for content moderation, Pieter's hands-on approach to AI implementation is both inspiring and instructive. He shares his experiences with the rapid evolution of photorealistic AI models and the challenges they present.
Pieter's innovative use of AI for automation in his startups showcases the technology's potential to revolutionize solo and small-scale entrepreneurship. His strategy of using AI to handle tasks that might otherwise require additional staff is impressive.
For those looking to stay on the cutting edge of AI, Pieter recommends diving into discussions on π (formerly Twitter).
Throughout the conversation, Pieter's enthusiasm for AI's potential is balanced with a thoughtful consideration of the ethical challenges it presents. His insights offer a valuable perspective for anyone interested in the practical applications of AI in product development.
Additional Info: If you want to chat with the episode instead of listening to the nearly four-hour long episode, Lex shares the full transcript on his webpage. Just copy it into your favorite chatbot to use it as background knowledge and ask your questions.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is written with the aid of AI. I use AI as an assistant to generate and optimize the text. However, the amount of AI used varies depending on the topic and the content. I always curate and edit the text myself to ensure quality and accuracy. The opinions and views expressed in this newsletter are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the sources or the AI models.