AI Code Assistants: Blurring the Lines Between Categories

For long, AI Coding tools have naturally split into specialized roles to solve different developer needs, Inline assistants for real-time suggestions and Multi-file editors for broader changes. Today, these approaches are converging, making our development workflows more efficient than ever.

I see two distinct categories of AI code assistants in our development landscape.

The inline assistance category, championed by GitHub Copilot and Codeium, excels at real-time completions and suggestions. These assistants are like pair programmers who peek over your shoulder, helping you craft code line by line. While Copilot started with simple completions, its recent addition of chat participants and multi-line edits shows this category expanding beyond its initial focus. Codeium has followed suit for inline edits, with their Windsurf editor earning praise for multi-file edit capabilities.

LLM Development Lessons: Tools, Tips, and Tricks